Jenson Button Adamant He Won’t Give Up On The Title

Jenson Button has confirmed he will not give up on the Championship battle, as long as remains a mathematical Championship contender. Prior to the start of the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Jenson Button was queried as to whether he’d begin to adhere to team orders, with Lewis Hamilton battling for the Championship.

However, the 2009 World Champion has continued to adamantly deny these reports, stating that as long as he remains a title contender, he’ll strive to achieve success. Victory in today’s Belgian Grand Prix confirmed the Briton’s mentality after the McLaren driver dominated proceedings around the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit, whereas team-mate Lewis Hamilton crashed out at the start in the violent multi-car incident.

“I’m sorry to all the fans if it wasn’t very exciting at the front!” Explained Jenson Button after the race, “However, winning a Grand Prix is never easy: you’ve always got to look after the tyres and keep an eye on the gap behind. We need to score big points in both World Championships – and today was exactly what we required. I’m a massive team-player, and I fight for the team; I want us to win both World Championships and, until I can’t mathematically fight for the Drivers’ World Championship, I won’t give up on it. I think I showed that today.”

At the beginning of the weekend, Jenson Button stated how he aims to win at both Spa-Francorchamps and Monza, two legendary and historic circuits which the Briton had yet to win around. With victory at Spa earlier today, Jenson Button will unquestionably be striving to win again next weekend at the Italian Grand Prix at Monza.

Picture Copyright © McLaren F1 Team

 

HRT Set To Introduce Upgrades For The Singapore Grand Prix

Pedro de la Rosa has announced that HRT are set to introduce upgrades for next month’s Singapore Grand Prix, as the Spanish-outfit aim to lift themselves off of the bottom of the Constructors’ Championship. After three seasons in F1, HRT have yet to score their first World Championship points.

After returning from the summer recess, Pedro de la Rosa confirmed that HRT are still concentrating on making their F112 car quicker in comparison to the opposition. Regardless of the gap between HRT and the likes of Sauber and Force India, it’s undeniable that they have greatly improved throughout the season. Both Pedro de la Rosa and Narain Karthikeyan failed to qualify for the season opener in Australia, but have since greatly improved as the season has progressed, peaking by qualifying within 103.4% of the pole man at the European Grand Prix.

“I think that we’ve made progress; we’ve managed in this first [half] of the season to go in qualifying, from not qualifying in Australia outside the 107 per cent, to 103.4 per cent in Valencia, so I think that’s a very, very aggressive improvement.” Explained Pedro de la Rosa, “We don’t have anything new for the next few races. We will have an upgrade for Singapore. That’s where we are – but we are definitely happy with what we’ve done and what we’ve achieved, although it may not look like it in the results. We still can do a lot better in the second half.”

With several races until these new upgrades are introduced, Pedro de la Rosa has stated that the team expect to remain in the same positions as Hungary for the Belgian and Italian Grands Prix. They are naturally hoping these upgrades offer a boost to the overall pace of the cars, as they aim to move up the order.

“Before the break we knew that the upgrade was coming in Singapore, if everything goes to plan – and after the break it’s still the same.” Continued Pedro de la Rosa. “Until Singapore I think we will be more or less in the positions that we’ve been so far, and then wait for Singapore for this next upgrade.”

HRT’s reserve driver Dani Clos will once again return behind the wheel of the F112 for the opening practice session on Friday morning, before Narain Karthikeyan returns to action alongside Pedro de la Rosa as the team prepares for the weekend’s race.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

2012 Formula 1 Shell Belgian Grand Prix Preview

After several painstaking weeks of no Formula 1 action, fans across the globe can rejoice this weekend as Formula 1 returns at unarguably the most spectacular and demanding circuit on the calendar, with the Belgian Grand Prix at the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit.

Situated deep within the Ardennes Forest, near the towns of Spa, Malmedy and Stavelot, the Spa-Francorchamps circuit has produced some of the most exciting races of recent years and also plays host to some of the most iconic corners of the season. Although the track has undergone several redesigns since its inaugural year back in 1922, the track is still one of longest on the Formula 1 calendar, with the 7.004km lap taking just under two minutes to complete.

The weather at Spa-Francorchamps is almost as unique as the track itself, with inclement weather always a possibility throughout the Formula 1 weekend. With rain as heavy and persistent as was seen back in 1998, when only five cars finished the race on the lead lap, the teams and drivers are fully aware of the bite which the Spa-Francorchamps beast can unleash at any time.

This season sees the Formula 1 circus head to Spa-Francorchamps with a great deal of unpredictability still surrounding what has so far been a highly unique season, with seven different drivers already having won so far. With the excitement and unpredictability which can arise when Formula 1 visits Spa-Francorchamps, an eighth different winner is a strong possibility, with the likes of Kimi Raikkonen, Romain Grosjean and Michael Schumacher still without a victory in 2012.

Michael Schumacher returns to Spa this weekend to compete in his 300th Grand Prix, after making his debut at the same circuit back in 1991 for Jordan. The German legend has won the Belgian Grand Prix a record six times throughout his career (’92, ’95, ’96, ’97, ’01 and ’02). Unsurprisingly Ferrari hold the record for the most amount of races won by a Constructor, with a stunning 16 race victories at Belgian Grand Prix (’52, ’53, ’56, ’61, ’66, ’75, ’76, ’79, ’84, ’96, ’97, ’01, ’02, ’07, ’08 and ’09).

It has been confirmed that former F1 and IndyCar driver Eliseo Salazar will be the Drivers Steward at this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, a role which has previously been held by fellow former drivers Nigel Mansell and Emanuele Pirro, amongst others. Eliseo Salazar’s Formula 1 career spanned three seasons, with a career best finish of 5th at the 1982 San Marino Grand Prix when he was racing for ATS. Salazar was a race winner in IndyCar, winning the season finale at Las Vegas in the 1996-97 season for Team Scandia.

The DRS zone for this weekend’s race remains relatively unchanged from last season, with the detection point located 235m before turn 2 and the activation point located 320m before turn 4. Although the device will be available to the drivers anywhere on the circuit throughout practice and qualifying, the FIA have enforced a ban on the device being activated throughout the notoriously difficult Eau Rouge corner. This is to prevent incidents similar to that seen in 1999, when Jacques Villeneuve and Ricardo Zonta crashed heavily during qualifying.

Formula 1’s visit to Spa-Francorchamps is always a highlight of the season, with action and excitement usually in abundance throughout the weekend. With the possibility of rain looming over proceedings for the weekend, this year’s Belgian Grand Prix has all the ingredients to be yet another thrilling chapter of Spa-Francorchamps and Formula 1’s unique partnership.

Picture Copyright © Pirelli

Kimi Raikkonen Eager To Take Fifth Victory At Spa

Kimi Raikkonen has become somewhat of a master of the legendary Spa-Francorchamps circuit in recent years, winning the race four times between 2004 and 2009. As the 2007 World Champion gears up to return to the Ardennes Forest this weekend, he admits he is eager to take his fifth Belgian Grand Prix victory.

Although Kimi Raikkonen has yet to win a race so far this season, it is unquestionable that the ‘Iceman’ has been one of the most competitive and consistent drivers on the grid. Only four races into his return to the sport, and Kimi Raikkonen was already back on the podium with 2nd at the Bahrain Grand Prix. As the season has progressed, Raikkonen has consistently finished every lap of the season and has is without a doubt on course to win a race sooner rather than later.

Kimi Raikkonen’s last F1 victory at Spa in 2009.

The Finn’s last victory around the Spa-Francorchamps circuit in 2009 was incidentally his last victory in Formula 1 to date, back when he was a Ferrari driver alongside Felipe Massa. Admittedly a lot has changed in the sport since then, however Kimi Raikkonen is understandably brimming with confidence ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.

“Usually I’ve achieved good results at the Belgian Grand Prix, but what’s happened before doesn’t help me right now.” Explained Kimi Raikkonen, “Obviously it would be great to win at Spa for a fifth time. I haven’t won during the first part of the season and the extra points are always good. Of course, we will do our very best to win this race. I have stood in the middle of the podium a few times and I want to be there again.”

Both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean have come exceedingly close to victory this season, however it’s undeniably true that their lack of performance in qualifying has held the Lotus outfit back when it comes to race day. In this highly competitive and unpredictable season, qualifying has once again become imperative if a driver wishes to take victory. Kimi Raikkonen understands that qualifying has so far been the team’s achilles’ heel, and believes the team is continuing to improve as the season progresses.

“We know the reason though [that Lotus haven’t yet won a race]; we’ve not been so strong in qualifying as we have in the race which makes life harder for ourselves on Sundays.” Admitted Kimi Raikkonen, “Of course we would rather win than come second or third but it’s a long season and I think we’re improving all the time. If it comes then great, if not we’ll keep trying. We’ve been improving our position in the Championships – both for myself and for the team – so as long as we keep doing that hopefully the win will come.”

Kimi Raikkonen is without a doubt overdue for a Grand Prix victory, and Spa-Francorchamps would undeniably be the best location for the ‘Iceman’ to return to his race winning ways. With Lotus preparing to run their own rendition of the Mercedes-pioneered Double-DRS device, expect both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean to be near the sharp end of the field once the Belgian Grand Prix gets underway this weekend.

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Formula 1 Grand Prix de Monaco 2012 Preview

With the 2012 Formula 1 season now fully renowned for its unpredictability after the first five races, all eyes and attention now turns to what is undeniably the crown-jewel of not only Formula 1, but also motor sport in general…the Monaco Grand Prix. Famous for its glamour and prestige, the Monte-Carlo street circuit has seen some of the most iconic moments in F1’s history.

First held in 1929, the Monaco Grand Prix has been held every year since 1955. The race is one of only four to have been on the inaugural calendar in 1950, and to still be on the 2012 calendar alongside Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Monza. In the track’s long and colorful history, some of the sports most legendary figures have been victorious on the street circuit, including the likes of Fangio, Moss, Hill, Stewart, Villeneuve, Prost, Senna and Schumacher.

The most successful driver around the Monte-Carlo street circuit was the legendary Ayrton Senna, who won the Monaco Grand Prix an unbelievable six times (’87, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92 and ’93). The Brazilian driver won five of those races with McLaren, who are the most successful Constructor around the Monte-Carlo street circuit, having won the race 15 times (’84, ’85, ’86, ’88, ’89, ’90, ’91, ’92, ’93, ’98, ’00, ’02, ’05, ’07 and ’08). As much as this stat will give confidence to their two drivers’ Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button, McLaren haven’t won the race in three years, with rivals Red Bull having done so for the last two consecutive seasons.

The first two practice sessions for the Formula 1 weekend will take place on the Thursday, instead of traditionally taking place on the Friday throughout the rest of the season at other venues. On the Friday, a frenetic morning of support races is planned, with GP3 Qualifying and Race 1 alongside the GP2 feature race.

There has been several minor alterations to the circuit since the 2011 race, most notably where the track has been resurfaced in several areas to try and remove bumps in the track. The TecPro barriers which proved highly effective when Sergio Perez crashed in qualifying last year have been implemented at turns 1 and 14, replacing tyre walls. And also, stemming from Perez’s incident last year, a crane has been removed from the end of the barrier at the turn 10 and 11 chicane. This has subsequently created nearly 15 meters more run-off space.

The DRS zone has remained the same from 2011, with the overtaking device also banned from use in the tunnel. This ban was in use last year, after drivers campaigned against DRS as they believed it would be unsafe if deployed within the tunnel. This therefore means that DRS can only be deployed down the start/finish straight during the race. Former British Formula 1 World Champion Nigel Mansell will be the drivers’ steward for this weekend, a role which has been carried out by Johnny Herbert, Emanuele Pirro and Tom Kristensen throughout 2012.

With five different winners in five races throughout 2012 so far, the unpredictability is expected to continue when the cars finally take to the Monte-Carlo street circuit this weekend. With drivers’ such as Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton and Kimi Raikkonen yet to win in 2012, the possibility of a sixth different winner is exceedingly high!

Picture Copyright © Williams F1 Team

Jaime Alguersuari To Complete Jerez Test For Pirelli

Only six months after being replaced at Toro Rosso alongside his then team-mate Sebastien Buemi by Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo, Spanish driver Jaime Alguersuari will return to the cockpit of a Formula 1 car this coming week as he tests for Pirelli in the 2010 Renault R30.

The 22-year-old Spaniard had raced in F1 since the middle of the 2009 season, when he made his debut at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. Throughout 2010 and 2011, Alguersuari remained at the Italian outfit, trying to replicate the previous success of Sebastian Vettel at the team. However, now Jaime Alguersuari is the test driver for F1’s tyre supplier Pirelli, along with fellow former F1 driver Lucas di Grassi. 

Next week at the Circuito de Jerez in Spain, Jaime Alguersuari will complete in several days of testing for Pirelli as they aim to test new compounds for F1. The Pirelli tyres have undoubtedly revolutionized Formula 1 in recent years, making tyre management the most important aspect of some races.

“No one can imagine my enthusiasm in this very moment.” Explained a jubilant Jaime Alguersuari, “I’m just counting down the minutes to be behind the Wheel of the most sophisticated machinery of the World. I could never imagine that I was going to miss so much the taste of Formula One. I want to state my gratitude to Pirelli for their confidence, having had other options, and I’ll try to do the best job for them! Alongside this role I will keep my post with BBC Radio 5 Live. I am really grateful to them for giving me the opportunity of joining such a professional team. I’m a happy man.”

After the Jerez test, three other tests are scheduled across the year at Spa-Francorchamps, Monza and Barcelona’s Circuit de Catalunya.

Picture Copyright © Getty Images

Bernie Ecclestone Says Deal Is Done For French GP Return

Formula 1 Supremo, Bernie Ecclestone, has reignited belief that the French Grand Prix will finally return to the F1 calendar next season, with a race at the Paul Ricard circuit in Le Castellet. Ecclestone has spoken out, stating the deal is done for Formula 1 to return to its birthplace.

Since 2008, the French Grand Prix has been absent from the F1 calendar. However, this is set to change in 2013 as F1 will return to the Paul Ricard circuit for the first time since 1990, before the race was moved to the Magny-Cours circuit.

However, this joyful news could well come at a cost of the Belgian Grand Prix at the majestic Spa-Francorchamps circuit. Even though the race in which France will alternate with has yet to be officially confirmed, the Belgian Grand Prix is the only race which has been rumored in alternating with France.

It has been speculated that the French Grand Prix will return on the full 5.809km Paul Ricard circuit, and will host its first race in 2013 and every second year afterwards on a five race deal until 2021.

“The deal is done,” Explained Bernie Ecclestone. “We actually agreed on financial terms with the sports minister, David Douillet, in my office last Tuesday. We are still discussing a few points about money around the race, ‘You give me this, I want that’ and so on. But, for me, there is no doubt that we will sort it all out.”

When and if the race goes ahead, it will be the 87th running of the French Grand Prix, the first being held in 1906 at Le Mans. Michael Schumacher has won the event the most times, a whopping eight times in total.

Picture Copyright © Force India F1 Team 

Romain Grosjean Becomes 200th Different Driver On The Podium

Romain Grosjean made Formula 1 history in Bahrain, becoming the 200th different driver to step onto the podium since the sports inaugural season in 1950. With Grosjean joining his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen and reigning World Champion Sebastian Vettel on the podium, it was all change once again on the top step of the F1 rostrum.

For Grosjean, it was his first step on an F1 podium in only his 11th start. The Frenchman began his career in 2009 with Renault, however he was replaced by Vitaly Petrov for the 2010 season. Grosjean then returned to the GP2 Series and in 2011 won both the GP2 and GP2 Asia Series’.

In 2012, Grosjean has returned to the top tier of motorsport along with his team-mate Kimi Raikkonen, and the two have already shown high amounts of competitiveness in only the first four races of the season. Although Grosjean failed to complete more than seven laps in the first two races due to two DNF’s, he seems to have made up for his errors with two points finishes in China and Bahrain.

The last Frenchman to step onto the podium was 14 years ago, when Jean Alesi did so in unforgettable circumstances at the crazy 1998 Belgian Grand Prix for Sauber. The French veteran was joined by the Jordan duo of Damon Hill and Ralf Schumacher, who had memorably achieved Jordan’s first F1 victory with a 1-2 finish in the rain at Spa.

Romain Grosjean has ended this drought for France and has returned the French flag to the podium once again, becoming the 21st Frenchman on the podium. He now joins the likes of Jean Alesi, Rene Arnoux, Alain Prost, Didier Pironi and Olivier Panis as French drivers’ who have reached the podium in their career. 

With Grosjean only several races into 2012, his aim now will naturally be to become the first French winner since 1996, when Olivier Panis won the Monaco Grand Prix for Ligier in a race which amazingly saw only three cars eventually cross the finish line at the end of the race, the least amount in F1 history.

Lotus showed promising pace in pre-season testing at both Jerez and Barcelona, with Raikkonen and Grosjean both setting the fastest times throughout the testing period. It now seems that Lotus are beginning to show that pace once again, when it all counts during the race on Sunday. Both Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean know how to win races, and they will undoubtedly be striving to do so in 2012.

Picture Copyright © AFP 

France Still Working On F1 Return

French Prime Minister, Francois Fillon, has said that a deal to bring Formula 1 back to France is nearly complete. However, more work is required before they can finalize a date for the sports return and a venue for which the race would alternate with.

With talks to bring Formula 1 back to France dominating the motor sport headlines lately, it was expected that the French Prime Minister was set to announce a definite date yesterday. However, with the nation still hard at work finalizing their plans, we have been left non the wiser after Francois Fillon’s announcement. It was initially expected that Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps would be announced as the track with which the French Grand Prix would alternate with.

“It is not possible to organize a Grand Prix [in France] every year,” the French Prime Minister said to the local media. “We are working on the idea of organizing a Grand Prix every other year at Castellet and every other year in another country. The organizers have approved F1, but without saying what the other country will be. The proposals are quite reasonable, but it is not done yet.”

With such uncertainties regarding which venue the French Grand Prix would alternate with, it’s conceivable to believe the race may not take place until 2014. During Francois Fillon’s visit to Paul Ricard, he also explained how the event will not receive financial backing from the government. This means the race must promote itself, which could prove extremely difficult in these trying financial times.

Picture Copyright © Force India

Pirelli Sign Jaime Alguersuari and Lucas Di Grassi As Test Drivers’

For the first time, Pirelli have signed two former Formula 1 drivers’ to test for them throughout the 2012 season. Both Jaime Alguersuari and Lucas di Grassi will drive Pirelli’s new 2010 Renault R30, with an aim at defining the new 2013 tyres for next season. They will test at Jerez, Spa, Monza and Barcelona throughout 2012.

Former Toro Rosso driver Jaime Alguersuari joins Lucas di Grassi at Pirelli, after being replaced at the team after last season. The Spaniard scored 31 points in 46 races throughout his F1 career, which began at the 2009 Hungarian Grand Prix. Beforehand he was racing in the World Series by Renault for Carlin, before making the big switch to F1 mid-season.

Brazilian driver Lucas di Grassi competed in the 2010 Formula 1 World Championship for Virgin Racing, alongside Timo Glock. He failed to score any points, and finished as high as 14th at the Malaysian Grand Prix. In 2011, he became the Pirelli test driver after being replaced at Virgin Racing by GP2 graduate Jerome D’Ambrosio. He will be entering his second year working for Pirelli, after becoming their test driver in July 2011.

“Our commitment to providing the best possible spectacle in Formula One is underlined by the fact that we have two extremely fast and talented test drivers this year.” Explained Pirelli’s Motor Sport Director, Paul Hembrey, “Lucas will provide us with the reference point that we need from the development programme so far, while Jaime brings an extra dimension from his experience of racing at the sharp end of the field throughout the last three seasons. We’re going to be using the drivers for all of our single-seater testing activities, including GP2 and simulator development as well.”

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