Sebastian Vettel. Red Bull. Possibly the four most typed, texted and tweeted words in the world of Formula 1 racing these past few weeks. I make no apology, then, for veering away from the talk of the town to a very different part of our racing universe.

But before I do, may I simply add a thought, without using those four words? This young man has been a pure joy to watch, an athlete absolutely at the top of his game in a supremely clever car. He will, in my view, be a deservedly popular World Champion for the second year running. Would he be dominant in a McLaren or perhaps a Ferrari? Who knows? Probably not, but that simply isn’t the point. All great champions have been given a near-perfect car in which to display their talent. This young lad is on his way to claiming a place among the ‘greats’ of our sport.

Anyway, away from all this, we are less than a month from one of the best events in the calendar and one which looks like being better than ever in 2011. For an increasing number of drivers, mechanics – and writers – the start of autumn means a visit to the coast of Portugal. From October 20-23 the magnificent Portimao circuit will host the third Algarve Historic Festival, an event that is rapidly establishing itself as the perfect way to combine some thrilling racing with a short holiday in the Portuguese sunshine. This year the festival coincides with half term, so we can expect the paddock to be full of wide-eyed youngsters who missed out in previous years.

One of the best things about the event is the circuit. The Autodromo Internacional Algarve, or Portimao as it’s better known, is a giant of a race track, a true drivers’ circuit that is just crying out to be used for a Grand Prix. But that’s not likely to happen any time soon. It is fast and very demanding, dipping and climbing around an amphitheatre that gives spectators a fantastic view of the action. This is a track of the old school, but with modern facilities and safety measures. Which is just as well because it is not a place for the faint-hearted. The best of the historic racers climb from their cars beaming from ear to ear.

This year most of the 250 cars already entered will come from Britain where, as we know, historic racing is on an all-time high thanks to events such as the Goodwood Revival and Silverstone Classic.

Promoter Francisco Santos, a former Ford works rally driver, is bullish despite the economic woes of the Eurozone. “We still need more cars for the F2 race,” he tells me on the phone from Lisbon, “but all the other grids are just about full and we will have 300 cars for our third festival. Of course it is also a big party, a chance to enjoy the sunshine, and Motor Sport readers will love to see the Anciens Pilotes, who include Tony Brooks, Richard Attwood and Maria de Filippis (above).” So will this Motor Sport writer.

If you still have some euros, get yourself down to the Algarve and enjoy some great racing before the nights close in and we head into winter. See you there.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Spa-Francorchamps. The very words have a sense of excitement, of anticipation, don’t they? Grand Prix cars howling and wailing through the Ardennes, swooping up and down across the valley. Oh yeah, Eau Rouge may be easy flat in a modern car, but Spa is Spa, and it’s good.

And another thing. It is five hours by road from the south of England, the Channel Tunnel making this trip the simplest it’s ever been. Lots of Brits will be there, waving their flags and banners every time ‘our Lewis’ or ‘our Jenson’ go screaming by on another lap of what is still a magnificent racing circuit, even if it’s not the spooky challenge it was in days gone by.

This year the teams go to Belgium after a month’s holiday, an enforced shutdown when – for two weeks – no work may be done on the cars. The drivers will be chomping at the bit, the mechanics will be refreshed and the engineers will have been dreaming up yet more tweaks in the quest to beat those pesky Red Bulls. Just as McLaren, and possibly Ferrari, began to catch up along came a month’s break in the season. It is now or never if anyone is to have the faintest hope of catching Herr Vettel before they go to Brazil in November.

So what makes Spa-Francorchamps one of the great circuits, one of the races you always anticipate with pleasure? Many things, really, but above all it’s the chance to see Formula 1 cars let loose at full chat around a naturally flowing piece of asphalt that dips, dives, climbs and snakes through a valley in the dark green forests of the Ardennes.

Arriving is good. As you wind your way through the woods you can tune in to the circuit radio station, start to get excited. Then you hear the cars, like wild beasts rampaging around beyond the trees that encircle the car parks. These days, sadly, you can’t tell which car is which from the engine noise like you could when Ferraris made their own music and Matras, or Cosworths, sang another kind of song. But despite the homogeny of modern times, this is still a wonderful place to watch an F1 driver at work.

I go in, not to the paddock or pits, but to the top of the hill at Eau Rouge, known as Raidillon, where the cars appear as if about to fly into the sky. Then it’s up into sixth, seventh and flat out down the long straight to Les Combes where Mika Häkkinen so famously outfoxed Michael Schumacher in 2000 when faced with a backmarker at nearly 200mph. From here you may walk as far as you please, pausing to goggle at the sheer grip and grunt of these machines, the commitment of the drivers, and the ridiculous speed with which they change direction. Or walk the other way to Blanchimont where the raw speed beggars belief.

I first saw Jenson Button in a Grand Prix car here in 2000, in a competitive Williams, in tricky weather conditions. He qualified a superb third and finished fifth. It was clear to me and countless others that – given the right opportunities – here was a very talented driver who had earned his rapid rise through Formula 3 to the top level. Took him nine years to get his title… no wonder he looks so much more at ease these days.

So, once you’ve had your fill of the skills on display at a proper circuit, you return – ears ringing – to your hostelry, study the times over a good Belgian beer, eat too many chips with mayonnaise and wonder how we ever ended up in places like Abu Dhabi or Sepang. All Grand Prix racing is good, and fascinating, but European races remain the best.

And Monza is next. Joy. Pure joy. Racing cars, pasta, Parmesan and Chianti. But that’s another story for another day.

Who will win at Spa on Sunday? I have no idea. A month is a long time in modern F1 racing. But, forced to predict, I reckon it’ll be a McLaren.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Welcome to another ‘week in motor sport’. There was plenty to talk about this week and I sat down with features editor Rob Widdows to mull over the Hungarian Grand Prix and the news of new deal with Formula 1, Sky and the BBC.

I am sorry that we’re back to our usual editing quality, but we’re in the process of finding a budget and hope to return to the professional format as soon as possible!

As always, let us know what you think about everything we discuss.

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The 2011 Hungarian Grand Prix marked Jenson Button’s 200th Formula 1 race start. He lined up third on the grid and in the race he drove superbly in mixed conditions. At the scene of his first Grand Prix win in 2006 he crossed the line victorious once again, this time ahead of Sebastian Vettel and Fernando Alonso in third.

Vettel and Lewis Hamilton had filled the front row in qualifying, but when it became clear that it was going to be a wet start to the race all bets were off. Yes, the Red Bull driver was quick, but so were the McLarens and the Ferraris.

The race started with everyone on intermediate tyres and despite the track being only slightly wet there appeared to be no grip at all. Even Fernando Alonso came off on a couple of occasions and he’s not known for making mistakes.

Vettel led away with Hamilton in second, however, on lap five – when the front-runners were going 28 seconds slower than they had done in qualifying – the German ran wide letting the McLaren driver through.

The racing line soon dried and it was Webber who was the first into the pits on lap 11 to switch to a set of super soft tyres. Jenson Button did the same on the next lap and after he had slithered round part of the lap many were wondering whether Webber and Button had made the right choice. At the end of the lap Vettel and Hamilton also dived in for fresh rubber, but by now Button had been out on the slicks for a lap and, as he does so well in these conditions, had found his confidence and what grip there was. When Vettel emerged from the pits he had his mirrors full of Button’s McLaren and it didn’t take long for Jenson to get by the struggling Red Bull.

Hamilton was in the lead with Button now running comfortably in second place. However, when it looked as though everything had settled down Nick Heidfeld emerged from the pits after stopping for fresh tyres on lap 25 with his car on fire. The Renault driver quickly pulled over by the pit exit and jumped clear, thankfully before the side of the car bizarrely exploded. Luckily the marshals attending the stricken machine were unhurt, but with the car in such a dangerous position it was surely only a matter of time before the safety car was deployed. Webber, Alonso and Hamilton clearly thought the same thing as they all dived into the pits, avoiding the smoking Renault on the exit. Button pitted shortly afterwards on lap 28, but by now it was clear that there wouldn’t be a safety car. Vettel was still out and losing huge amounts of time as his super soft tyres were finished.

The order remained unchanged after the pitstop phase was over, and while Alonso looked worryingly fast for the leaders, they kept a decent gap until Webber pitted once again on lap 40. This time the Red Bull driver opted for the harder of the two compounds, as did Vettel and Button when they pitted on lap 42. But, and this is where it all started to go wrong for Hamilton, the McLaren driver stayed with the super soft rubber. As the order settled down once again the question of whether Hamilton could make it to the end of the 70-lap race started to become the major factor in who was going to win the Hungarian Grand Prix. The harder of the compounds, that all the other front-runners were on, clearly could last the distance, but what of Hamilton?

On lap 47 everything changed. Rain started to fall once again and Lewis spun after catching a wet kerb on the inside of the chicane. As he spun his car back round to rejoin the race Paul di Resta had to make for the grass in order to avoid him. Shortly afterwards we heard that the incident was being investigated by the stewards, one of which was Allan McNish who had also been the driver steward at Monaco earlier in the year. Button was right on the tail of Hamilton now, and if anyone was disappointed after Webber and Vettel were not allowed to race at Silverstone, they certainly got some payback thanks to the McLaren duo.

The pair swapped the lead numerous times over the next lap as with the fresh rain it would be the driver in the lead who got the choice of when they wanted to pit. Hamilton had regained the lead by the pit entry and so he dived in for intermediates, leaving Button to navigate round another slippery lap.

Half the grid was on intermediates by this stage and it looked like the sensible option. However, the rain soon stopped and Hamilton almost immediately started to lose ground, being passed by Alonso on lap 54. That same lap Hamilton, who probably couldn’t imagine his afternoon getting any worse, was told that he had a drive-through penalty because of pushing di Resta off the track.

He pitted first to change back to slicks and then a lap later he served his drive-through. In the space of a few laps Hamilton had gone from the lead of the Grand Prix to sixth, 55 seconds behind Button. He wasn’t done yet though and then passed Massa, who was struggling with shot tyres, and Webber while the pair were negotiating traffic, six laps from the end.

Amazingly Hamilton was extremely calm after the race. “Congratulations to Jenson,” he said after finishing fourth. “He was pushing me hard all race and the best man won today. I need to find Paul (di Resta) and apologise to him because I just didn’t see him.” He went on to complain about radio issues and the fact that the team couldn’t hear what he was saying, but he did finish with “it wasn’t the best call (referring to the choice to pit for intermediates), but that’s racing. The team did a fantastic job and I feel as though I’ve let them down a bit.” It was a very different Hamilton to the man we had seen earlier in the season, furious in post-race interviews.

Jenson Button meanwhile was understandably ecstatic. “What a perfect start to the summer break,” he said on the radio after crossing the line. “Let’s come back and win them all.” I doubt that will happen, but what Button did do on Sunday was prove – once again – that he really is the master of mixed conditions.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

The night before the British Grand Prix Fernando Alonso murmured that he thought he really might be able to do something about the Red Bulls this time. He wasn’t overt in his remarks, for that is not Alonso’s way, but merely made the point that of late Ferrari’s race pace had been appreciably more competitive than in qualifying. Even when a second or so from Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber on Saturday, he had been able to show them something on Sunday afternoons – and this time he was within a tenth or so…

An hour or so before the start Fernando took to the track in Bernie Ecclestone’s Ferrari 375, similar to the car with which Froilán González scored the team’s first World Championship victory at Silverstone in 1951. It appeared, in similar circumstances, a few years ago, driven by Michael Schumacher, but Alonso got rather more into the spirit of the thing, and steered the car on the throttle in a manner which would have delighted the flamboyant González. There was a pleasing symmetry about the day, therefore, when Fernando was able to celebrate the 60th anniversary of Froilán’s great day by scoring his – and Ferrari’s – first victory of the season.

There was drama aplenty in this British Grand Prix, and that was good, for the weekend – right up to race time, anyway – was sadly dominated by endless discussion of the wretched blown diffuser rules, which seemed to change by the hour. Not unnaturally it was a matter of overwhelming interest to those directly involved, of course (and every one of them seemed to claim their cars had been more adversely affected than any others), but for everyone else it was simply a consummate bore.

There was unhappiness that a rule change should have been introduced in the middle, rather than at the end, of a season, and bewilderment that the rule change was then amended – and amended and amended…

Eventually one o’clock on Sunday arrived, and it was time simply to get on with it, to go racing. In tricky conditions the day before Webber had taken a very brave pole position, shading team-mate Vettel, with the Ferraris of Alonso and Massa on row two. Jenson Button was happy enough with his position on the grid – fifth – but less so with the fact that his time was a second and a half away from pole. He was, however, a picture of contentment compared with McLaren team-mate Lewis Hamilton, who blamed the team for sending him out on the wrong tyres in Q3, and qualified only 10th. He hoped for a wet race, he said.

In part, he got one, at least for a while, for an hour before the start one of the widely forecast showers arrived – but only on part of the circuit. Thus, the start-finish area (now on what used to be the far side of the circuit, of course) was pretty dry, but in other places drivers reported aquaplaning. Although the start was conventional (rather than behind the safety car), the obvious tyre choice was intermediates – which meant, in turn, that the obligation to use both of the slick compounds on offer evaporated.

One of these was the hard compound not seen since Barcelona, where they emphatically did not suit the Ferraris, so it could be that Alonso benefited from a stroke of luck, but on the other hand he claimed that in practice the car now worked very well on the hard Pirellis. “All the recent changes we’ve made to the car have been good,” he said. “We brought quite a big aero update to Silverstone, and everything worked fine. I’m very proud of the team for the recovery they have done…”

Initially, though, it didn’t look as if Alonso – or anyone else – would trouble Vettel this day, the British Grand Prix looking like so many gone before this season. In the – very – mixed conditions Sebastian looked much at ease as he quickly built a lead over Webber, whom he had passed away from the line. Five laps in, he was virtually five seconds to the good.

Alonso ran a couple of seconds behind Webber, but the man really on the move at this stage appeared to be Hamilton, who was quickly up to fifth (from his 10th place on the grid), and picked off Felipe Massa’s Ferrari immediately before the first stops. Although the track had been drying there was some uncertainty as to when the optimum time to go to slicks would be – indeed Webber later said that the leaders probably stayed out too long on the intermediates, nervous of making the switch before the track was truly ready for slicks.

In fact, it was Michael Schumacher who settled the issue – and somewhat inadvertently. On lap nine he rather cack-handedly collided with Kobayashi’s Sauber, which meant an immediate stop. Slicks were put on the Mercedes, and soon Michael was setting new fastest laps, which of course brought the front runners in, Webber, Alonso and Hamilton on lap 12, Vettel and Massa on lap 13.

The stops done, Vettel led from Webber once more, with Hamilton now third, then Alonso, Button and Massa. Next up, after the top six, was the highly impressive Paul di Resta, who had qualified a superb sixth for Force India.

The race was moving on apace, five drivers – Button, Alonso, Vettel, Hamilton, Webber – setting fastest lap on consecutive laps, between 16 and 20. Having been passed earlier by Hamilton, Alonso went by the McLaren again on lap 24, at which point Lewis immediately came in for his second stop.

A couple of laps later Webber was in, but the turning point of the race came on lap 27 when Vettel and Alonso pitted together – and it was Fernando, rather than Sebastian, who came out first, for Red Bull had had a rear jack fail before the left rear wheel had been properly changed.

Initially, it didn’t like look the end of the world for Vettel, who had dropped only three or four seconds – but if he had lost the lead to Alonso in the pits, he had also simultaneously lost second place to Hamilton, who had pitted before them, had tyres that were well up to temperature, and was charging.

Getting by Lewis would not prove to be the work of a moment for Seb – and all the time Fernando was away in the lead, building a gap, looking increasingly unstoppable.

Would Alonso have won, had Vettel not been delayed in the pits? “I honestly don’t know,” he shrugged. “I think we were very quick today, but Sebastian had track position on us at the time, and overtaking – even with DRS – is not so easy here…” From Vettel there was a similar response: “For sure it would have been a very tight race – Ferrari certainly had very good pace today…”

Indeed they did. Once into the lead – with Vettel endlessly frustrated in his efforts to get by Hamilton – Alonso cranked out a whole serious of fastest laps, increasing his lead from two to 10 seconds in a matter of half a dozen laps.

The final round of pit stops began with Vettel, on lap 36, and when they were all done Alonso remained serenely in front, 10 seconds to the good, beyond reach. By lap 50, with two to the flag, he was 20 seconds up, and Vettel now had a new worry – in the shape of his team-mate, whose Pirellis were two laps newer.

Webber had passed Hamilton for third place on lap 46, Lewis immensely frustrated by an instruction from his team that he should save fuel if he wished to make the finish. Once by the McLaren, Mark began making inroads into his team-mate’s four-second advantage, and through the last couple of laps was right on Vettel’s tail.

This was a matter of some concern to the Red Bull, who requested – nay, instructed – that the drivers hold station to the flag, and not put in jeopardy a basinful of World Championship points.

Webber decided that he was a racing driver, quicker at that stage of the race than his team-mate, and frankly admitted that he simply ignored the order, issued four or five times, to keep behind Vettel. In the end Sebastian just kept his second place, but afterwards Mark was completely unrepentant about disobeying his team – indeed he made it clear that he was thoroughly unhappy that such an order should have been made. “Let’s face it, if Fernando had retired on the last lap for some reason, this would have been a matter of fighting for a victory…”

Vettel, it must be said, offered no criticism of Webber’s attempt to get by him – indeed appeared, if anything, sympathetic, as if suggesting that in the same position he would have done the same as Mark. Red Bull has been so much more harmonious this year than last; one hopes this doesn’t precipitate another summer of discontent.

The pair of them went over the line almost as one, and a few seconds later there was more of the same, as Massa – who had closed on the fuel-hampered Hamilton at the rate of three seconds a lap – tried to separate the McLaren-Mercedes from fourth place. Lewis offered what may be termed a muscular defence: at the very last corner the cars touched, and Felipe’s Ferrari ran very wide. He didn’t lift, but Hamilton just beat him to the line.

All at Ferrari were of course ecstatic about Alonso’s victory, 60 years on from that historic day when González beat the Alfas for the first time. “It’s a perfect day,” Fernando beamed. “To win at Silverstone is such a special thing – I think all the Formula 1 drivers feel the same about it. It was a privilege to drive Froilán’s car earlier today, and now Ferrari has won the British Grand Prix again – with just the same passion as then…”

And what of all the debate and dissension regarding the blown diffuser rules? “Well,” said Fernando, “before all this Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren were the competitive teams – and today Red Bull, Ferrari and McLaren were the front runners in the race, so maybe too much has been made of it. I mean, I didn’t notice a Force India or a Sauber suddenly competing for victory…”

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

The British Grand Prix is fast approaching and this week Damien Smith and I discuss the race and the new pit and paddock complex at Silverstone. We also talk about Williams’ decision to use Renault engines next year and the new partnership between Virgin Racing and McLaren. We also have a brief look at the Imola 6 Hours and the Goodwood Festival of Speed.

As always, let us know what you think about the news.

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Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Another week, and another ‘week in motor sport’! This time I sit down with editor Damien Smith – despite the fact that the magazine is on deadline – and chat about possible driver movements in the McLaren camp, the possibility of the BBC dropping Formula 1, the situation at Citroen in the WRC and Dario Franchitti’s run of form in the IndyCar Series.

We are creating an audio file at the moment so if you don’t want to watch it, just download that on Wednesday 22nd…

As always though – let us know what you think about all the news.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Renault is threatening to pull out of Formula 1 if the much-discussed new 1.6-litre, four-cylinder turbo engine formula for 2013 is not soon confirmed by the FIA. Many people in F1 believe the new formula will be put off for a year or two, and some hope the FIA will relent and opt instead for a turbo V6. Following more than a year’s discussions with the teams and engine suppliers, the FIA is expected to make a decision on delaying the new formula by the end of the month.

Renault is the only enthusiastic supporter of the tiny turbo concept, which has failed to attract interest from new manufacturers. Both Ferrari and Mercedes-Benz prefer V8s or at least V6s, and everyone is worried about the costs of building and developing new engines. Still, FIA president Jean Todt is a big proponent of the small-capacity turbo and with Renault’s strong support he may insist on that formula. McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh has been deeply involved in formal talks about the new formula and discussed the matter in Montréal.

“I think the traditionalist who believes we need large-capacity, normally-aspirated engines has to accept that they may not be attractive to car companies in this day and age,” he said. “So there was some logic in the thought that we need a solution that is attractive to them. Unfortunately, with hindsight we got it wrong, because the intention of the 2013 formula was to see if we could attract more manufacturers.

“Plainly we didn’t, and we failed to do that because we came in at the end of the largest recession the automotive sector has ever had. We also gave them too short a timeframe to develop a new engine. I don’t think it’s worth criticising anyone over it. That’s how it transpired.

“The important issue for F1 is that we find a formula which is attractive to the car industry. We should have a model that averages [involvement from] three to five manufacturers, and inevitably they will rotate.

“We have to accept, respect and not despise the fact that the manufacturers are here to sell cars. If F1 is to be the ideal platform for product exposure and differentiation of their brand we need a formula that is relevant to them and to the needs of society.

“We’ve got to ensure that F1 continues as the technical pinnacle of motor sport. It has to be technically advanced, relevant, entertaining and differentiated. It’s not an easy task, but we have to work hard to achieve that.”

Whitmarsh personally would prefer a turbo V6. “We need great-sounding engines, it’s a core asset of our sport. But there’s no reason why you can’t have forward-looking technology and a great sound. I personally feel we’ve got to seek a compromise. If it were my call I’d probably go for a turbocharged V6. I think more and more cars are going to be turbocharged.

“We’ve got to have high revs. A vee engine suits the structure of an F1 car and we’ve got to have that unique sound. It might be different from today’s cars but I think it can still be fantastic.”

Eric Boullier (above), managing director of the Lotus-Renault team, said that if Renault continues in F1 it wants to put its main effort into supplying multiple teams. “Renault is pushing to supply maybe four teams. We’ve told the FIA that is our goal. Renault has decided to focus on being an engine supplier and as such we are pushing to bring new technology to F1. This is the only way for Renault to communicate their know-how and make sure they can use the opportunity of being in F1 to promote road car sales.

“The tendency of the road car market, especially for Renault, is to go to smaller engines with more hybrid technology to make fuel savings. F1 has to move forward. We need new regulations and new technical challenges for our engineers.

“Formula 1 can’t become just a show,” Boullier added. “We have to be seen as motor sport pioneers and technology is part of that. But we need to please our fans as well.”

Cosworth’s Mark Gallagher said: “There’s a big concern on our side because the new rules have no cost restrictions applied. So the manufacturers can spend a huge amount of money and we would have a space race around the new engine formula, which was never the idea. Everyone agreed that wasn’t the idea, but unfortunately that’s what happened. So we’ve also said to the FIA that a delay might be the right thing to do. I think all the teams, not just our customers, don’t need to be spending more money on engine technology.

“We want clarity. If it’s a 1.6-litre motor, fine, we’ll be there. If not, we’ve got a V8 that we can continue with. We’re agnostic. We don’t have to have a V8 or V12 or an in-line four. If the F1 rules required a single-cylinder two-stroke, we’d be there. The FIA president has said he’s listening and taking in everything we’re saying. We just want a resolution.”

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

So he is human, after all. As on so many other occasions this year, Sebastian Vettel dominated the Canadian Grand Prix – but only for 69 and a half of the 70 laps. Under pressure from Jenson Button on the last lap, Vettel got momentarily off the dry line, flicked sideways – and that was all Button needed. “In lots of ways I was lucky today,” Jenson said, “but still it was a very sweet win – maybe my best ever…”

The unforgiving Circuit Gilles Villeneuve invariably throws up an eventful Grand Prix, but this one was something else again. On a day of appalling weather, the race started behind the safety car, and Bernd Maylander would take to the track on four further occasions before the afternoon was done. So overwhelming was the rain that, 45 minutes into the race, after 15 laps behind the safety car, it was decided to bring out the red flag.

Unquestionably it was the right thing to do, and the right time to do it. Soon the rain was ferocious, and it went on and on. By the time it eased, then finally stopped, the track was pretty well waterlogged. When the safety car led them away once more, for the restart, a little over two hours had elapsed since the halt.

As usual Vettel started from pole position, but on this occasion his margin of superiority was rather less than usual – less than a couple of tenths – and Fernando Alonso, on the front row of the grid for the first time this year, quite fancied his chances. “This was always going to be one of Ferrari’s best circuits,” he said, “because it doesn’t have any really fast corners, so our lack of downforce is less of a problem than usual…”

By the same token, Red Bull – whose cars are unapproachable in quick corners – expected Montreal to be one of their weaker tracks. “Of course I’m pleased to be on pole,” said Vettel, “but actually I’m a little surprised…”

Perhaps Seb was being a touch disingenuous. The Red Bull may excel on circuits where aerodynamic grip is all, but it’s not less than outstanding anywhere. Mark Webber qualified fourth – behind the two Ferraris – but when you factored in that he had missed Saturday morning practice because of KERS problems on his car, and then qualified without KERS, his time said everything about Adrian Newey’s latest sublime design.

The team which disappointed most in qualifying was undoubtedly McLaren, with Lewis Hamilton fifth fastest, and Button seventh. Hamilton won here last year, and hopes were high of a repeat, but on Saturday evening he glumly said that the car was ‘simply too slow’. Martin Whitmarsh conceded that probably McLaren had run too much wing, and consequently suffered on straight line speed; on the other hand, he pointed out, if it were – as forecast – to rain on race day, Lewis and Jenson might find themselves in the pound seats.

It didn’t quite start out that way, however. After four laps behind the safety car, the field was flagged away on a wet track – and at the very first corner Hamilton tagged the back of Webber, putting the Red Bull into a spin. “I think,” Mark drily observed, “that Lewis saw the chequered flag at turn three…”

They raced for only three laps before the safety car was out again – this time because the McLarens had contrived to run into each other on the pit straight, Hamilton trying to pass on the left, and getting squeezed into the wall. “I’ve apologised to Lewis,” Jenson said. “I honestly couldn’t see a thing behind me…” Hamilton’s brief, but eventful, Canadian Grand Prix was over.

The safety car was out for five laps on this occasion, and when they restarted, at the end of lap 12, Vettel immediately disappeared into his own race again, pulling out 2.5 seconds on Alonso in the course of a single lap. Webber, meantime, was working his way back through the field following the first lap altercation with Hamilton. It was announced around this time, too, that Button had been given a ‘drive through’ penalty for a safety car infringement.

On lap 17 Ferrari brought Alonso in for a change from wets to intermediates, and the team’s timing could not have been worse. Within a couple of minutes the rain began to come down hard again, and, as Fernando stopped once more, to take on more wets, out came the safety car again, this time simply because the conditions were adjudged too dangerous to allow racing to continue. After 15 laps of tooling round, the decision was taken to halt proceedings until the rain began to ease off.

The wait was longer than anyone might have anticipated – it began at 1.45, and it was not until 3.50 that the race was restarted, again behind the safety car, of course, for it appears that the days of conventional starts on wet days are now consigned to history.

When the race did get away again – on lap 26 – it was brief indeed, for Alonso and Button touched as Jenson tried to pass on the inside of a right-hander, and the Ferrari spun over the kerb, and was instantly beached. Safety car once more – and for Alonso no points from a race of which he had had such high expectations. As Button made his way to the pits to replace a punctured tyre, it was announced that the incident – like countless others on this day – was ‘under investigation by the stewards’.

Conditions remained extremely treacherous, and clearly they brought out the best in Schumacher, who was turning in the best performance of his unhappy ‘second career’. On lap 42 Michael passed Webber, and proceeded to close up on Kobayashi and Massa, who were scrapping over second place.

Unlike most drivers Kamui, at the time the race was red-flagged, had not yet made a tyre stop, which meant that he (and both the Renault drivers) effectively got the stop free, the tyre changing being done during the enforced break. He drove a typically spirited race in Montreal, but when at one point he moved to cover a move by Massa the effect was to slow both of them – and Schumacher, close at hand, took the opportunity to snick by into second place! Michael perhaps on the podium again…in the Mercedes pit they could barely contain their excitement.

By lap 56, with 14 to the flag, Vettel led comfortably from Schumacher, who was fending off Webber, then Button, Kobayashi, Heidfeld and Massa. Out of the second turn Heidfeld ran into the back of Kobayashi’s Sauber, and damaged his front wing – which then broke violently enough to lift the front wheels from the ground: the Renault pitched into a wall, and out came the safety car again…

It was this incident which was to change the outcome of the race – and there was something else, too. The rules prohibit the use of DRS (the opening rear wing) in the wet, but now the track – or at least a ‘line’ round the track – was swiftly drying out, and everyone was on slicks. One wondered if and when Charlie Whiting would use his discretion to enable DRS again. It would not be long.

As before, Vettel charged away again on the restart, and looked firmly set on another 25 points. Within a couple of laps he was three seconds clear, but then, as he admitted later, he took it perhaps a little too conservatively – and perhaps reckoned without the effect of DRS on some of those behind him.

By lap 63 it was operational, and its dramatic effect – whether you like it or not – was clearly seen, for Webber, having been unable to pass Schumacher without it, now went past as if the Mercedes were parked. Immediately, though, Mark went over the final chicane, and although he had already cleared Schumacher he was concerned that he might be penalised – considered to have gained by cutting the chicane – and therefore he handed the place back to Michael. On the following lap he might have hoped to take the position for good, but instead was passed by Button, who was clearly on a charge.

“I love conditions like we had towards the end of the race,” Jenson said, “and the car was working beautifully…” On lap 65 he was 3.1 seconds behind Vettel; on lap 66 the gap was down to 1.6.

At this point we expected Sebastian simply to respond, to draw away again in the manner we have so often seen. He didn’t, though – indeed Button continued, little by little, to close.

On lap 67, with three to go, Webber got past Schumacher again, and this time made it stick, putting and end to Michael’s hopes of at last making a podium. No matter: this was consummately the best performance we have seen from him since his return, and fourth place was a good result.

Lap 68, and Vettel set the fastest lap of the race – which was instantly beaten by Button. Now the gap was an even second, so Jenson was bringing himself into DRS range of the World Championship leader. Next time round he was fractionally closer still, but not able to take a run at Seb: it would all come down to the last lap.

We expected that Button’s move would come – DRS-assisted – on the long straight at the end of the lap, but in the event he had no need of any such thing, for Vettel, responding to the pressure, got slightly off the dry line, and although he held the consequent slide it was too late to prevent the McLaren from going by. Half a lap from the end of the Canadian Grand Prix Jenson was into the lead, and there he stayed.

A tumultuous race, you might say, in every conceivable respect. How often does a driver come through five safety car periods, six pit stops, including a ‘drive through’ penalty, a puncture, contact with (at least) two other cars – and win a Grand Prix? I can remember nothing comparable. Button admitted that luck had been with him – “I couldn’t have done it without DRS and all the safety car periods” – but perhaps the biggest slice of it came from Emerson Fittipaldi, this weekend the driver advising the stewards.

On these occasions Fittipaldi has always shown himself to be fundamentally ‘on the side of the drivers’, and not given to dishing out penalties in an era when every little incident is scrutinised. It would have been criminal to have robbed Jenson of what he referred to as ‘his sweetest victory’. This was a wonderful drive.

Vettel, it must be said, was entirely magnanimous in defeat. After the last safety car period, he said, he probably should have gone harder, built up more of a lead, but who could blame him – in this season of endless victories – for being perhaps a touch complacent? No one’s saying it, of course, but the 2011 World Championship is already effectively won.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Motor Sport hosted a special evening in London on Monday as a group of our enthusiastic readers joined us for a private viewing of the stunning new Ayrton Senna film, which was released in UK cinemas last week.

We were honoured to be joined by the movie’s producer Manish Pandey and former McLaren team coordinator Jo Ramirez, the man who somehow managed to remain friends with both Senna and Alain Prost during their incendiary two years as team-mates in 1988-89.

The private viewing took place at the excellent Everyman cinema in Belsize Park, London which features large, leather armchairs rather than the standard seats you’d find in your local multiplex. After drinks and canapés, our guests parked themselves in the comfy chairs, sat back and soaked up the experience of Senna – a movie that you really have to see on a big screen. It’s stunning, as we discussed in our July issue of the magazine.

As the credits rolled, the audience showed their appreciation with a spontaneous round of applause. Then a real treat: a chance for the readers to listen to Jo and Manish discuss the film and the man, then put them on the spot with some direct questions.

Manish Pandey, Jo Ramirez, Nigel Roebuck and Rob Widdows talk Senna

Motor Sport’s Rob Widdows played host on the stage, with editor-in-chief Nigel Roebuck completing the quartet. Jo and Nigel have been good friends for years, and with their own personal experiences of Senna they offered a wider perspective on the man we’d just seen on the big screen, embellishing the themes that the film touches upon.

Manish gave us an insight into the making of the film and left the audience in no doubt that he is a true and deeply knowledgeable racing enthusiast. The movie has been a labour of love for him and he’s very close to it – but he’s not above a bit of criticism. On the much-discussed subject of how harsh the movie is to Prost, Manish was candid, admitting that he has some regrets about its portrayal of 1989. Such candour and honesty is refreshing.

It was a privilege to listen to Jo, Manish, Nigel and Rob, who kept the audience rapt before taking questions from the floor. Make sure to check out the website next week to listen to an audio recording of the Senna evening. For those of you who joined us, thank you for coming. For all of us, it was a very special occasion.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Nelson Piquet described driving a Grand Prix car in Monte Carlo as like trying to ride your bicycle around your living room. A victory on the streets of the Principality, he declared, was worth two anywhere else.

Keke Rosberg once likened the flat-out dive down the hill from Casino Square to Mirabeau to being on a toboggan without any snow to cushion the bumps. And Keke was not afraid of anything.
Both these men were racing cars with a manual gearbox, slick tyres and an excess of mechanical grip over aerodynamic downforce. Hence they were very busy in the cockpit, constantly changing gear and correcting slides on the changes of camber. They’d wear out the glove on the right hand, and the sole of the boot on the right foot. Blisters were commonplace at the chequered flag.

Men like Graham Hill – they called him Mister Monaco – and Ayrton Senna made it their own, stamping their authority on the twists, turns and bumps of the streets. And that’s what a great driver does – he takes the little place by the scruff of its impossibly glamorous neck. It is not a place for the faint-hearted.

The Monte Carlo circuit is easier now, but still a huge challenge in a Formula 1 car. As we head towards the race this coming Sunday, I feel as excited and expectant as ever, this Grand Prix being one of my all-time favourite occasions. There is simply nothing like it, there being an element of total madness. Were such an idea to be put forward now it would probably be dismissed on grounds of ‘health and safety’ and lack of palatial facilities. But Monaco survives, and let us rejoice that it does.

The race is something of a lottery, of course, but no less thrilling for that. Despite protestations to the contrary, overtaking is possible, this being proved each year by those with absolute skill and bravery. The streets are the ultimate test of a driver and nowhere else can you get so close to the action on the track. No longer are you able to walk through the tunnel, or stand behind the barriers, but a seat at the swimming pool section, or in Casino Square, is as good a view of an F1 driver in action as you will find.

Every time I walk down to the circuit at the start of practice on Thursday I get goosebumps and feel that surge of excitement as the cars scream up the hill from Ste Devote. I quicken my pace, get out my stopwatch, and make a dash for the nearest vantage point. The media centre is not the place to be. No, you want to be out there, drinking it in, as the cars skim the barriers, blast into blind corners and wail away towards the harbour where they will dash past the yachts in a crazy blur of noise, colour and raw speed. One split second of distraction and the car will be off-line and into the scenery. It is a magical experience for both driver and spectator.

Who will be at the front on Sunday? I have no idea, but all things being equal the best drivers will prevail. So expect Vettel, Hamilton, Button, Alonso and Webber to shine. Red Bull’s aerodynamic advantage will be somewhat constrained in Monte Carlo, while the McLaren is nimble and Alonso will squeeze something out of his Ferrari. If it rains, well, then all predictions are set aside. For once this season a good grid position will be important, with drivers unlikely to be able to storm through the field, so Saturday should be as thrilling as ever. Traffic is the bogey in Monaco, new tyres or not, soft option or hard.

If you have never been to the Grand Prix du Monaco, you have not completed your motor racing initiation. You don’t have to stay in a fancy hotel or visit the Casino, you just have to be there. Yes, it looks pretty on the TV, but on the side of the track, or leaning from a window above, this is a gut-bashingly great motor racing spectacle.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Another week, another ‘week in motor sport’. Today I ask Rob what he thought about the Spanish Grand Prix and whether or not it was a great Grand Prix. We also talk about Ferrari’s pace and how quickly McLaren have closed the gap to Red Bull.

This week I also ask Rob some questions that you, the viewers, sent in. We hope you enjoy it and as always, if you don’t agree with what we’re saying that let us know. There’s nothing like a debate on motor sport…

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Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Some days certain drivers rise above the rest of the field. The Spanish Grand Prix was one of those days for Sebastian Vettel and Lewis Hamilton.

The two drivers were in a league of their own on Sunday and it was only some great driving from the German – who had Hamilton breathing down his neck for the last part of the race – that kept him in front.

Even though the Red Bulls had qualified a second ahead of the next fastest runner, Hamilton, it was Alonso that took the initiative in the run up to the first corner and came out in first place from fourth on the grid. It was a typically smart and brave move from the Spaniard. His home crowd was justifiably delighted – if a little amazed – but it wasn’t to last. The Ferrari driver was leap-frogged by Hamilton and Vettel in the stops and then changed to a second set of hard tyres in his third stop when he was struggling to keep Webber behind him. He wasn’t comfortable with them at all and gently slipped down the field to finish fifth, a lap behind the leaders.

Vettel and Hamilton meanwhile drew out a lead at the front of the field. Hamilton just wouldn’t give up though and threw everything at the championship leader. Vettel was without his KERS, yet again, for some of the Grand Prix and it was only thanks to the Red Bull’s superior downforce in the middle sector that held the McLaren at bay down the pit straight when Hamilton was using his KERS and DRS. It was a masterful display of driving from the pair and, without a doubt, helped the race be the most exciting and enjoyable the circuit has produced for a long time, if ever.

Things didn’t go according to plan for Button even though he did manage to finish on the podium with Vettel and Hamilton. The Brit had a terrible start, with far too much wheelspin, from fifth on the grid and dropped all the way back to 10th on the first lap. McLaren quickly did the sums and put Button onto a three-stop strategy rather than a four which he handled brilliantly. Any thoughts that his tyres wouldn’t last and that Webber would catch and pass him in the final stint were rubbished when he crossed the line eight seconds ahead of the Australian.

“I did everything I could,” said Hamilton after the race, “but the Red Bull was just so quick in the middle sector I couldn’t get close enough.” That it was, but crucially the Red Bull was nowhere near as dominant in the race as it was during qualifying. The Circuit de Catalunya is a high downforce track and the very quick cars invariably do well there. The Red Bull was the quickest car throughout the weekend, but McLaren must be delighted by how much they have closed the gap on race pace, especially since it was at a track that rewards cars with plenty of downforce – something the Red Bull has got plenty of.

The DRS zone didn’t make a huge impact during the race as it didn’t start early enough on the pit sraight, meaning that rarely did the following car manage to close the gap. However, this was a truly great Grand Prix, and it’s safe to say that it was thanks to the Pirelli tyres and not the other ‘gimmicks’ as my colleagues Damien and Nigel call them.

So what did everyone think? The best race from Catalunya ever? It will be hard to beat. Do check back with us tomorrow as I will be quizzing Rob Widdows about all the racing over the weekend for our ‘week in motor sport’ video feature. Do leave me a question to ask him below, and don’t go easy…

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Another ‘week in motor sport’ episode where I talk to the editor Damien Smith about Lewis Hamilton’s stunning victory in the Chinese Grand Prix, Mark Webber’s rise through the field and the new ‘gimmicks’ in F1 like the DRS and KERS.

We also discuss Mike Conway’s first IndyCar win, Sebastien Ogier’s second WRC win on the trot and Silverline Chevrolet’s effort to get Jason Plato’s car ready for race 3 in the BTCC at Donington. Oh, and we also touch on two future Grand Prix champions who have just started karting.

The week in motor sport

We hope you enjoy it and – as always – do let us know your views.

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Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

“Fantastic job, fantastic job. In the heat we kept our heads cool,” commented Sebastian Vettel on the radio after he won the Malaysian Grand Prix. “Every week it’s a pleasure driving for you and I’m loving it, I’m loving it…”

I’m sure Vettel is loving his time at Red Bull at the moment as even without his KERS – which stopped working early on in the race – he never looked flustered, or troubled. He has now won five of the six last Grands Prix and he is oozing confidence. No doubt there’ll be plenty to get on with back in Milton Keynes after the KERS systems of both Mark Webber and Vettel failed to work, but you get a sense that any teams that want to compete with Red Bull have their work cut out.

3.2 seconds behind Vettel was McLaren’s Jenson Button who, having qualified fourth, drove a strong race. His team-mate had the measure of him for most of the weekend, and indeed, for most of the race. However, at Hamilton’s third stop the team opted for the harder of the two compounds, his front left took time to be changed, and from then on the Brit struggled to keep the same pace as the leaders. Button, who had been running behind Hamilton, jumped him when he finally stopped for the third time, but even if he hadn’t, there’s no doubt he would have got past soon enough. Only 10 laps later and he was over 15 seconds down the road.

Fernando Alonso quickly closed onto the back of Hamilton’s struggling McLaren, but clipped his front wing on the back of the car while trying to pass and had to pit for a new front nose that lap. If Hamilton thought his troubles were over he was sadly mistaken, as both Nick Heidfeld and Mark Webber closed up onto the back of his gearbox and made their way past soon after, Webber doing so after Hamilton ran wide. After another pitstop to change his ruined tyres, Hamilton finally finished seventh.

It was another good weekend for Renault as after both Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov got off the line brilliantly they maintained a good race pace. Heidfeld finished an encouraging third while Petrov, who had run well for much of the race, finally ran wide and while coming back onto the track managed to traverse a rain gulley that pitched the Renault off the ground. The car came down with an almighty thump and, astonishingly, the steering column came away from the rack leaving him with no steering at all.

Thankfully by this time Petrov was going slow enough to come to a halt a few metres down the road, but no doubt the Russian was cursing his decision to take the rain gulley flat. He may have shown how far he has come on in Australia, where he finished a promising third, but mistakes like that will go down badly with any team that looks set to pick up points.

Mark Webber, Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso finished fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, but it was the Australian that stole the show. On the way to the grid he reported that his KERS didn’t work and it was this problem, combined with a slow getaway, that relegated him to 10th by the end of the first lap.

He recovered well though and got some strong points. However, he has to start beating his team-mate in qualifying and the race to stand a chance of the championship, and at the moment can you see that happening?

It was another good result for Scot Paul di Resta who managed to out-qualify and out-race his team-mate Adrian Sutil. The Force India is clearly off the pace at the moment and there’s no doubt that Sutil and di Resta are getting the most out of the car. The team will be reasonably relieved with their 10th and 11th positions.

So what of next weekend in China? McLaren is undoubtedly closer to Red Bull than it was in testing and the first race. Ferrari seem to have dropped back even further on one-lap pace since Australia, and Mercedes had a woeful weekend in Malaysia with Schumacher finishing ninth and Rosberg a very quiet 12th. It looks like Vettel and Red Bull will be the combination to beat again in seven days time and if the other teams aren’t careful, they could go to Istanbul for the start of the European season with a certain German sitting on 75 points at the lead of the championship.

On Sunday evening Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso were each given 20-second penalities. The McLaren driver was given his for making more than one move while trying to block Alonso, and the Ferrari driver was penalised for causing an avoidable accident. The penalties mean that Hamilton drops to eighth place, but Alonso stays in sixth.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

We may be one of the oldest motor racing magazines in the world, but we do like trying new things. Our latest idea was to record a very brief round-up of the news each week so that every Monday you can log on to the Motor Sport website and watch a video clip that neatly sums up all that’s happened in the motor racing world over the past seven days.

Well, we’ve given it a go. It may be a little longer than we anticipated and our attempt at a newsroom feel – recording it in front of everyone in the office – may not have been 100 per cent successful, but it’s a work in progress. If any of you heard our first audio podcast you’d be amazed…

So, hopefully the days of reading hundreds of news stories every Monday morning are gone. Maybe…

Let us know what you think as this really is a first attempt. We hope you enjoy it.

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Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

“That was really controlled,” said Sebastian Vettel over the radio at the end of the Australian Grand Prix. “Thank you very much, very cool.”

His race was indeed ‘very cool’ as having blown everyone away in qualifying – his team-mate Mark Webber included – the German took the lead off the line and only gave it up to Lewis Hamilton during his two pitstops. He drove a faultless race and even though the Red Bull wasn’t equipped with KERS, something that Christian Horner only admitted to after the race, it was clearly the fastest car out there. A worrying state of affairs for all the other teams.

Hamilton had a less ‘controlled’ race as although he managed to keep second place after getting too much wheelspin off the line and momentarily letting Webber through, the underfloor of his car came away later on in the race. Despite the lack of downforce he kept his track position and will be hoping that the car passes scrutineering. Something that team principal Martin Whitmarsh was confident of after the race, but not something that is a dead certain.

Big news came in the shape of Russian Vitaly Petrov though as having got a superb start from sixth on the grid he finally finished third. He didn’t put a foot wrong and proved that he’s not just racing because of the financial benefits to his team. A great result and a fitting tribute to the missing Kubica.

Nick Heidfeld’s race in the other Renault was sadly not as successful. After a poor qualifying left him all the way down in 18th on the grid, the replacement for Kubica had his work cut out. However, although he did finally finish 14th, his pace was nowhere near his team-mate’s. The fact that he was drafted in as a ‘safe pair of hands with plenty of experience’ is all very well – and I doubt he will finish where he did in the next race – but when you’re standing in for Kubica results will be expected. Watch this space.

Other big news was Sergio Perez. The Sauber driver had an absolutely fantastic race and – having pitted only once for new tyres – finished seventh behind Button (6th), Webber (5th) and Alonso (4th). Quite how the Sauber could be so gentle on its tyres is amazing and certainly bodes well for the rest of the season, especially when we go to tracks that are harder on the Pirellis. It was a great way to start a Formula 1 career and hopefully the confidence will be flowing after such a strong start.

So what of all the new rules and regulations? As I mentioned, Red Bull didn’t even run their KERS during Saturday and Sunday having evaluated it on Friday and deciding that it was too big a risk to run. The Red Bull of Vettel was comfortably the fastest car out there, which does tend to suggest that the KERS still needs work. I just wish the rules gave teams that used the technology a bigger advantage. 80bhp may seem like a lot of power – it is more power than some small hatchbacks – but surely with a boost of 150bhp the teams would put more effort into the device and the technology would be advanced that much faster? The rules are set though, and it’s 80bhp that the drivers can lay their hands on when they press the button.

The adjustable rear wing didn’t produce as much overtaking as everyone expected. However, it did solve the problem of being stuck in a slower car’s dirty air to some extent. Yes, the pit straight was not a long enough straight on which to operate it and the effect wasn’t as large as it perhaps could have been, but it did help faster cars close the gap and overtake either into turn 1 or later on in the lap.

One of the best examples was when Felipe Massa was following Sebastien Buemi later on in the race and although he was within one second of the Toro Rosso driver – who was sitting in a car with the same engine as his own – for a couple of laps, it took him two attempts to get past, even with the ability to open the flap on the rear wing on the pit straight. Was it too hard? Too easy? Time will tell. A gimmick? That it is, but as someone pointed out, during the turbo era drivers could turn up their boost to overtake someone which would have had a similar effect.

Finally the tyres. Pirelli have made some big improvements since testing and the four or five-stop race was a pessimistic exaggeration. In the end the most number of stops cars really needed were three, while all the front runners opted for two – bar Perez of course who managed to use only two sets all race. “We have to make some compliments to Pirelli,” said Vettel after the race. Of course, having just won the Grand Prix he wasn’t going to be rude about them.

Albert Park is a different circuit to most though so we’ll have to wait and see how things pan out when we get to Malaysia in two weeks and even China in three. In the meantime – congratulations to a dominant Vettel, a McLaren team that has managed to find a second between testing and the first race, and of course to Petrov and Perez who showed that Formula 1 isn’t all about experience. Just ask Barrichello who had the weekend from hell, spending more time off the track than on…

The two Saubers of Kamui Kobayashi and Sergio Perez have since been disqualified for a rear wing infringement. The team has made it clear that they wish to appeal the decision after investigating matters at its factory. Meanwhile, Hamilton’s floor was deemed legal by the scrutineers and his second place remains.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Testing, testing, one-two-three. We are now in the midst of the fourth and final pre-season Formula 1 test at the Catalunya circuit in southern Spain, where it has been unusually grey and chilly. This is the test that should have been in hot and dusty Bahrain…

Pre-season testing can, as we have so often seen over the years, be not only inconclusive but also misleading. This is because there is always a certain amount of smoke and mirrors, some deliberate sandbagging and insufficient accurate information forthcoming on fuel loads and set-ups.

And this year, we should remember, we are dealing with totally new tyre compounds from Pirelli, which has not yet got a race under its belt in any kind of climate. Rubber is likely to be a major factor in early 2011.

Popular opinion – and many engineers agree – is that we are going to see a lot more tyre degradation in the early races than we have previously been used to. Three pitstops are predicted, some saying more, especially if the weather is hot, the surface abrasive. Added to this unknown we have KERS, moveable rear wings and new cars to consider.

Logic says that Red Bull will the early pacesetters, and so it proved on Tuesday in Spain, with Mark Webber (above) top of the timesheets from Jenson Button – by some margin. This does not mean Red Bull is going to disappear into the distance at Melbourne on March 27, but simply that on March 8 the new Red Bull was more sorted than the new McLaren. And that’s no surprise at this stage. In an era when aerodynamics is key, you can expect an Adrian Newey-designed car to be at or near the top of the times.

What will be in many ways more interesting to see is how the two most radical cars shape up against the rest. These are the Williams (below), with its radical rear end and new transmission, and the Lotus-Renault, with its forward-facing exhaust system. If either of these two risky design ideas prove to be the way to go, then the others will have to follow suit, just as we saw two years ago with the Brawn’s double diffuser, when Button’s pre-season testing pace had alarm bells ringing right down the pitlane.

This year we have seen no such clear advantage, although Red Bull is predictably fast. Not far behind is Ferrari, smarting from its title defeat in Abu Dhabi. All Grand Prix teams of any stature play their cards close to their chests, saving their best until the first afternoon of qualifying. And, just to complicate matters, testing is not what it used to be.

In days gone by there was virtually unlimited mileage, the teams under no pressure to get it all sorted in just four short sessions in February and March. And there’s another difference. Test drivers, or reserve drivers as they are now known, have to get some mileage now or never, whereas before they could do their testing while the teams were away racing. And this means – as we have seen in Spain – lots of new, young drivers being given time in the cars when, in a perfect world, they’d be waiting until the race drivers went away to race.

So, we should not be surprised if Red Bull, Ferrari – and possibly McLaren – are at the front of the grid in Melbourne. Button (above) says we should not expect too much, that the car is not the equal of Red Bull or Ferrari, and they don’t have time to catch up before the end of the month. Bad news for McLaren fans.

Oh yes, and we also know that Mercedes-Benz has a great deal of work to do if Schumacher and Rosberg are to be anywhere near the podium. Unless, of course, Mr Brawn has been keeping something up his sleeve…

So end the ifs, buts and maybes. Soon it will be time to race…

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Imagine if James Hunt was still around today, I mused to Martin Brundle at Daytona a few weeks ago. “Well, if he was I’d be out of a job!”, the BBC’s new lead commentator fired back.

The truth would probably be somewhat different. Hunt, who died of a heart attack at the age of just 45, would have struggled to hold on to a high-profile media role in the modern world. Richard Keys and Andy Gray would have had nothing on Master James! Had he lived, he’d have said something outrageous long ago and would probably have been handed his cards after a short and very nasty tabloid campaign against him. After this, I like to think he would have settled down into his new role as an outspoken, politically incorrect star columnist here at Motor Sport… and how refreshingly outspoken and irreverent those columns would have been. Such a shame he was taken from us all so early.

Hunt was a brilliant, instinctive broadcaster during his time sharing a mike with the long-suffering Murray Walker from 1980-93, in much the same way that he was a brilliant, instinctive racing driver. He shot from the hip and carried lasting prejudices (yes, poor Riccardo Patrese), and that attitude would not have sat well in this sensitive age. Can you imagine the froth that would have been generated on the web forums if Hunt was broadcasting today? They’d have loved him and lynched him.

For me, Hunt was all the greater because of his imperfections (He once turned me down for an autograph at a Brands Hatch Grand Prix because he was late for the celebrity race. Somehow, I didn’t mind  – because it was him. Even as a kid I was aware of his reputation for timing, so found the polite but firm ‘no’ and the mad rush he was in very amusing).

He took his racing intensely seriously, to the extreme of vomiting before the starts and so on, because he knew only too well how dangerous was his chosen vocation. But at the same time he refused to take life seriously away from the races – which is exactly why he agreed to pose for Patrick Lichfield’s cheeky photoshoot that adorns the cover of the April issue.

Nubile young ladies on the cover of Motor Sport? Sacrilege! Mr Tee (Motor Sport’s former proprietor) must be spinning… But if there is an image that sums up the man our writer Eoin Young struggled so hard to like, it’s this one. All that’s missing is a bottle of something strong and a fag in his mouth. Like James, we don’t like to take life too seriously here at Motor Sport, and we couldn’t resist. Especially as it highlights once again how different our world is today compared to the 1970s. Can you imagine Jenson Button taking part in such a photo shoot? (I can actually – but I don’t think McLaren, Vodafone etc would like it much! Imagine the airbrushing…)

Eoin was James’s original – and very reluctant – biographer. His personal impressions of a man who he came to know well, and eventually like a great deal, are fascinating. For those of us who only knew him as an image in photographs or as a voice on television, they are truly revealing. Incidentally, Eoin lives back in New Zealand these days and we were alarmed to hear this week of the dreadful earthquake that has devastated Christchurch. We were relieved to hear that Eoin was unhurt, although he has suffered damage to his property. From everyone at the magazine, and I’m sure all of you who read it, we send you our best wishes, Eoin.

James Hunt pops up again elsewhere in the April issue, his serious racing side highlighted within Rob Widdows’ entertaining Dispatches column on an eye-opening trip to Monaco with Hesketh Racing, and also within this month’s riveting Lunch with Murray Walker. Now, you won’t be surprised to read that Murray was typically eloquent when Simon Taylor met up with him recently. But even for Murray, this one is special. Despite suffering from a heavy bout of ’flu, he saved his best form for Motor Sport. I’ve never read a more frank and insightful piece on a man who is always a great interview.

We also look ahead to the forthcoming F1 season, with a bumper preview featuring Nigel Roebuck in discussion with Sir Jackie Stewart, a definitive explanation of the new rules – including those gimmicky moveable rear wings – and a study of the overtaking debate by former Renault technical boss Pat Symonds. Since we went to press, the Bahrain GP has been cancelled, of course, so we’re down to ‘only’ 19 races beginning in Australia on March 27. Within our issue, Jackie Stewart has some strong words on the circuits that F1 visits today and the changes that he believes are needed to inject a greater challenge into the sport. We quite agree.

You can also read our verdict on the new McLaren MP4-12C road car, find out more about Mini’s return to world rallying and catch up with comeback kings Martin Brundle and Mark Blundell during their impressive return to the cockpit at the Rolex Daytona 24 Hours.

Before I close, I should mention that our founder editor Bill Boddy celebrated his birthday this week. On February 22 WB turned 98 years old. His stories continue to file into our inbox for each issue and the magazine simply would not be the same without him. Happy birthday, WB, from all the team at Motor Sport.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Civil unrest has led to the cancellation of the first Formula 1 Grand Prix of the season in Bahrain. The decision has been taken by the Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, who has stated that his country must “focus on immediate issues of national interest and leave the hosting to a later date.” The race was due to take place on March 13. The F1 season will now begin in Australia on March 27.

Our correspondent Rob Widdows posted the blog below, before the cancellation of the Bahrain GP had been confirmed.

At the time of sending this dispatch there remains a great deal of uncertainty over the running of the first Grand Prix of the year in Bahrain on March 13.

Unless you have been living in a cave for the last few weeks, you will know that unrest in Tunisia and in Egypt has gathered pace across the Arab world, including the Kingdom of Bahrain where there have been riots in the capital city of Manama.

A decision on whether or not to run the race must be made this week if those involved are to get themselves organised. But this is not a decision for Bernie Ecclestone, it is a decision that must be made by the Crown Prince of Bahrain himself, for it is he who will best understand the safety – or otherwise – of his kingdom. And it is he who has been the driving force behind bringing Formula 1 to the Gulf, not to mention the investment his country has made in the McLaren Group. This will not be an easy decision.

Grand Prix racing is not what is important here, nor is its future at stake. There are 19 other races on the 2011 calendar. Global politics, and the stability of Bahrain society, are what are important, not least because the little desert kingdom is absolutely in alliance with both Britain and the United States. The Grand Prix is but one small, and recent, example of Bahrain’s wide-ranging connections with the outside world.

The Sakhir circuit is some way from the centre of Manama, out in the desert on the way to the beach resort of Zallaq, making it more of a challenge to protect the great and good of F1 from potential kidnap or attack. All things considered, circumstances are not ideal for a major international sporting event.

But this is not only about politics – it is almost as much about money. Ecclestone is handsomely rewarded for taking his business to Bahrain, just as the kingdom is rewarded with global exposure and not a few incoming dollars. Unlike Abu Dhabi, whose wealth is virtually without limit, Bahrain does not have such deep resources under the desert sand. It is not a poor country, far from it, but it needs F1 like it needs the international banks, investment houses, oil companies and hotels that will be the foundation of its wealth in decades to come.

There will be teams who’ll be pleased to do one less race, relieved to gain further development time. But should the race be cancelled, the leading players will have to wait even longer to find out how far they have caught up with the Red Bulls. The money will be of secondary importance, this being a fraction of the whole compared to the disruption of schedules and the risk of taking such an extravagant circus into a city filled with disgruntled natives.

At this stage, one thing is sure. The Crown Prince will be working very hard indeed to bring his country under control in time for the safe arrival of a sport of which he is such a passionate enthusiast. He and his ruling family will be equally keen to show the rest of the world, in particular the UK and the USA, that their investments are safe, that Bahrain knows how to restore order to such a strategically important Gulf state. Of course we all want the race to go ahead, to see the cars come out to play after the winter, but for once F1 must play second fiddle to peace in a volatile world. And if there are two areas upon which Bernie Ecclestone has a firm grasp, they are surely money and politics.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Ahead of our Hall of Fame event next Tuesday (February 15), the Motor Sport team sent out a survey to everyone registered on our website.

Usually these things are well beyond my pay grade, but this time I managed to get a quick glimpse of the results. Some were quite predictable – Jim Clark was voted the greatest Formula 1 driver of all time ahead of Ayrton Senna and Juan Manuel Fangio – but others weren’t.

Here are some of the results…

Which is the most memorable F1 car of all time?

1)    Lotus 72
2)    Maserati 250F
3)    1988 McLaren MP4-4

What was the best ever rivalry between F1 drivers?

1)    Alain Prost vs Ayrton Senna (with a staggering 68.5 per cent of the vote)
2)    James Hunt vs Niki Lauda
3)    Juan Manuel Fangio vs Sir Stirling Moss

Which circuit in 2011 do you expect to produce the most exciting F1 race?

1)    Spa-Francorchamps
2)    Silverstone
3)    Montréal

Which will be the most improved team on the F1 grid in 2011?

1)    Mercedes
2)    Williams
3)    Lotus (quite a good call, although even if its cars are comparatively three seconds a lap faster than they were at the end of last season they’ll still be a second off the pace)

Out of the rookie drivers new to F1 for 2011, who do you think will excel?
1)    Paul di Resta (should be right on the pace)
2)    Pastor Maldonado
3)    Sergio Pérez

Which team do you think will be the main contender for the constructors’ title in 2011?

1)    Red Bull
2)    McLaren
3)    Ferrari

Which driver would you tip to win the 2011 drivers’ championship?

1)    Fernando Alonso (with the above answer in mind, it doesn’t say much for everyone’s view on Massa!)
2)    Lewis Hamilton
3)    Sebastian Vettel

So there you have it. What are your thoughts? Do these answers really represent what you think?

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Here we are… the first of our 2011 podcasts.

We made the journey to the McLaren Technology Centre yesterday and managed to distract Martin for well over an hour. We hope you enjoy it! As always, let us know what you think.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

“Nice wheels” and “Vodafone is painted on nice this year”. That was the level of insight offered by Lewis Hamilton at the ‘reveal’ of his new McLaren-Mercedes MP4-26 in a Berlin shopping centre on Friday.

Extravagant Formula 1 launches are generally a thing of the past, but Vodafone Germany wanted to make a show this year and while most teams have limited themselves to test day roll-outs, McLaren flew the media masses to the German capital to unveil its latest silver machine.

But as launches go, this one suffered a bit of a misfire. As we waited on our ‘media platform’ in the cold, a film began to play silently on the big screen. It took a while for some to even notice this launch had started.

The film showed members of the public carrying bits of bodywork through the streets of Berlin, on the tube and up escalators. Then, in front of us a team of McLaren mechanics wheeled the incomplete racing car into the shopping centre and began to piece together MP4-26 before a murmuring audience. The ‘civilians’ who’d been seen carrying the bodywork pieces on the big screen entered the arena and handed the parts over to the mechanics to fit to the car. Finally, Hamilton and Jenson Button walked in to look over the car – for the first time as a complete entity, according to Lewis – and participate in a Q&A session with the German host. The effect was… underwhelming.

In the press conference (thankfully back in the warm), Martin Whitmarsh and McLaren’s three senior engineers, Paddy Lowe, Jonathan Neale and Tim Goss, offered a little more substance on 2011 and their new challenger.

The overriding conversation point was the introduction of the adaptable rear wing for this year, which will allow drivers to ‘trim out’ levels of rear downforce and decrease drag in FIA-designated parts of the track when they are within a second of a rival – thus increasing the chances of overtaking.

It seems incredible to be writing this, but people are talking about overtaking being too easy in F1 this year, thanks to this new regulation. The effect is said to be about 10 times more than we saw with the (now-banned) F-duct last year. Overtaking, so it is said, will become common and therefore meaningless.

Team principal Whitmarsh had an answer to the doubters (of which I am one – I think it’s a gimmick). “What’s important to remember is that there was a comprehensive survey of fans and one of the overriding issues it raised was that there wasn’t enough overtaking opportunities. Now some of us deeply involved in the sport might not believe or accept that, but you don’t go to the detail of asking everyone what they want and then when primary point comes out, not do anything about it. There was a responsibility placed upon us to do something.

“We’ll all have opinions about it throughout the year. But if you’ve got it, you can tune it. The extent and manner of how you deploy it, and when, that’s an easy thing now for us to tune.”

The drivers are reserving judgement until they have real experience of the new regulations, but Jenson did suggest that the satisfaction of a perfectly-timed overtaking move might change this year. We will see.

Meanwhile, they are unconcerned about the complications of having extra buttons to press this year, thanks to the adaptable rear wing and the re-introduction of KERS. Lewis reckoned it was “quite easy” to manage. Again, only time will tell.

As for the MP4-26 itself, its most noticeable feature is the heavily sculpted sidepods that waste away dramatically at the rear, in the quest for improved airflow to the rear end. As usual, the car that was revealed only gives a clue to the real specification that we will see hit the track next week at Jerez. The car will no doubt change again by the time we reach Bahrain for the first race.

At the launch, the exhausts – which no longer have a double diffuser to blow through this year – exited straight out the back. Tim Goss confirmed that it’ll be a major area of development this year.

The next few weeks will be intense for the F1 teams. With so much change and so much that is new, drawing an accurate picture from testing will be even more difficult than usual. We eagerly await the Bahrain GP for some real answers to the big questions of F1 2011.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Time flies. Like many other clichés, this is undeniably true. And, believe me, the older you get the faster time flies by.

If you follow a sport your year is pretty much defined by the season, or calendar, and this seems to make the passage of time faster still. No sooner have you seen a person or team crowned champion than it all starts again.

It feels like only last week that the Formula 1 cars crossed the line in Abu Dhabi at the close of another season of Grand Prix racing. And yet, suddenly, it is launch time. Not in the Cape Canaveral sense of the word, but with stages shrouded in dry ice, covers drawn back dramatically and newly-groomed drivers blinking in the bright lights.

By the time we get to Valencia on February 1 we will already be familiar with the shape of the 2011 contenders. Gone are double diffusers, F-Ducts and Bridgestone tyres. New for this year will be the return of KERS, moveable rear wings and Pirelli tyres. But the cars will look pretty much the same as last year to the casual observer, and that’s why launches are not as dramatic as they used to be when the regulations were less prescriptive and designers had greater freedom to express themselves. As things are, the casual observer may find it hard to tell a Mercedes from a McLaren.

Speaking of these two contenders, we see two very different strategies ahead of the first Grand Prix in Bahrain on March 13. Mercedes will unveil its new MGP-W02 in the pitlane on the first morning of the three-day test in Valencia on February 1. Will this be the car that Michael Schumacher needs to prove he still has the old magic? Who knows? McLaren-Mercedes, meanwhile, will not launch its new MP4-26 until after the Valencia test on February 4. This, the team says, is because they will gather data from the new Pirellis before revealing what they consider to be the perfect solution to the media and, more importantly, their rivals.

Six days later, on February 10, the teams will transfer to Jerez for a four-day test before making the trek to Bahrain. Every team will have its own strategy, its own programme of development over the next seven weeks. But you can be sure that the 2011 Red Bull will be one of the last to show its face. Adrian Newey has always preferred to spend as much time as possible in research before committing his thoughts to carbon fibre. To match, or exceed, last year’s results will be a huge challenge. Especially as its rivals have had all winter to study where it was that the RB6 found a second a lap on them.

How much we will learn from Valencia and Jerez is debatable. Claims and counter-claims will be made, we may not be privy to fuel weights on every run, and a Brawn-type advantage, such as we saw in 2009, is a rare occurrence. There is, however, every reason to believe that we are in for another thrilling year and Ferrari, still smarting from the confusion of last November, will be throwing everything it has at the 2011 title.

Off-season? What off-season? Time flies.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Time flies. Like many other clichés, this is undeniably true. And, believe me, the older you get the faster time flies by.
If you follow a sport your year is pretty much defined by the season, or calendar, and this seems to make the passage of time faster still. No sooner have you seen a person or team crowned champion than it all starts again.

It feels like only last week that the Formula 1 cars crossed the line in Abu Dhabi at the close of another season of Grand Prix racing. And yet, suddenly, it is launch time. Not in the Cape Canaveral sense of the word, but with stages shrouded in dry ice, covers drawn back dramatically and newly-groomed drivers blinking in the bright lights.

By the time we get to Valencia on February 1 we will already be familiar with the shape of the 2011 contenders. Gone are double diffusers, F-Ducts and Bridgestone tyres. New for this year will be the return of KERS, moveable rear wings and Pirelli tyres. But the cars will look pretty much the same as last year to the casual observer, and that’s why launches are not as dramatic as they used to be when the regulations were less prescriptive and designers had greater freedom to express themselves. As things are, the casual observer may find it hard to tell a Mercedes from a McLaren. Speaking of these two contenders, we see two very different strategies ahead of the first Grand Prix in Bahrain on March 13.

Mercedes will unveil its new MGP-W02 in the pitlane on the first morning of the three-day test in Valencia on February 1. Will this be the car that Michael Schumacher needs to prove he still has the old magic? Who knows? McLaren-Mercedes, meanwhile, will not launch its new MP4-26 until after the Valencia test on February 4. This, the team says, is because they will gather data from the new Pirellis before revealing what they consider to be the perfect solution to the media and, more importantly, their rivals.

Six days later, on February 10, the teams will transfer to Jerez for a four-day test before making the trek to Bahrain. Every team will have its own strategy, its own programme of development over the next seven weeks. But you can be sure that the 2011 Red Bull will be one of the last to show its face. Adrian Newey has always preferred to spend as much time as possible in research before committing his thoughts to carbon fibre. To match, or exceed, last year’s results will be a huge challenge. Especially as its rivals have had all winter to study where it was that the RB6 found a second a lap on them.

How much we will learn from Valencia and Jerez is debatable. Claims and counter-claims will be made, we may not be privy to fuel weights on every run, and a Brawn-type advantage, such as we saw in 2009, is a rare occurrence. There is, however, every reason to believe that we are in for another thrilling year and Ferrari, still smarting from the confusion of last November, will be throwing everything it has at the 2011 title.
Off-season? What off-season? Time flies.

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine

Motor Sport Magazine - The original motor racing magazine