The Bahrain Grand Prix - Sunday, April 22nd 2012

Vettel holds off Raikkonen to win the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Sebastian Vettel delivered his first victory of the 2012 Formula 1 season in the Bahrain Grand Prix, and moved into the championship lead in the process - but only after resisting a stern challenge from the Lotus of Kimi Raikkonen. On a day when Lotus delivered everything it had promised in the opening races, Raikkonen and team-mate Romain Grosjean hacked through the field to complete the podium behind the winning Red Bull. Mark Webber took fourth in the second Red Bull, while pitstop problems consigned front row starter and erstwhile championship leader Lewis Hamilton's McLaren to eighth. Nico Rosberg completed the top five after an eventful race for Mercedes. It soon became clear that the Lotus duo had stunning race pace. Although Vettel stormed away from initial pursuers Hamilton and Webber, Grosjean and Raikkonen were making rapid progress up the order. Grosjean had moved into fourth at the start, then picked off Webber and Hamilton on laps four and seven, while Raikkonen vaulted from 11th to seventh off the line, had a quick wheel-banging battle with Felipe Massa's Ferrari, then got up to third by the time the first stops were done - by virtue of a string of passes and a long first stint. Raikkonen then closed on Grosjean, overtook his team-mate on lap 24, just before their second stops, and started hunting down Vettel. As they approached the final tyre changes, Raikkonen was on Vettel's tail and able to take several looks at passing the Red Bull. The tension eased after the final stops, though, with Vettel able to rebuild a slight lead and keep the Lotus under control, despite the occasional flurry of fast times from Raikkonen, who remained a secure distance ahead of Grosjean. Webber had a strangely lonely afternoon in fourth place, but there was plenty of action behind. Rosberg slipped back to ninth on a scrappy first lap, before recovering to fifth - although he attracted the stewards' attraction along the way after some vigorous defensive moves against Hamilton and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari). The incidents will be investigated after the race. Rosberg slowed as he crossed the line, but made it home for fifth. The Mercedes' final pass had been on Paul di Resta's Force India with just five laps to go. Di Resta did a masterful job on a unique two-stop strategy, allowing him to lead a grand prix for the first time and take sixth place. Hamilton's afternoon went awry in the pits, as a wheelnut issue with his left rear cost him a lot of time at both his first and second stops. The Briton had to settle for chasing di Resta and Alonso home in eighth place. It was a miserable race for McLaren overall. Jenson Button spent the afternoon on the fringes of the top six before a late pitstop with a puncture, and then a mechanical problem that left his sick-sounding car heading for the garage on the penultimate lap. Alonso had got up to fifth with an assertive start, but did not have the pace to stay there. Massa was respectably close to his team-mate's pace on the way to ninth, while Michael Schumacher was able to come through from 22nd on the grid to 10th in the second Mercedes. Two stars of qualifying saw their race hopes rapidly dashed. Daniel Ricciardo tumbled down the order on lap one and sustained nose damage, after which he could only get the Toro Rosso back up to 15th. Caterham's Heikki Kovalainen picked up a puncture on lap one.

The Bahrain Grand Prix Bahrain, Bahrain;
57 laps; 308.405km;
Weather: Dry.

Classified: Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h35:10.990
2. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 3.333
3. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 10.194
4. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 38.788
5. Rosberg Mercedes + 55.460
6. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 57.543
7. Alonso Ferrari + 57.803
8. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 58.984
9. Massa Ferrari + 1:04.999
10. Schumacher Mercedes + 1:11.490
11. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1:12.702
12. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 1:16.539
13. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:30.334
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1:33.723
15. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
16. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
17. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
18. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 1 lap
19. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 2 laps
20. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
21. Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
22. Senna Williams-Renault + 3 laps

Fastest lap: Vettel, 1:36.379

Not classified/retirements:
Driver Team On lap
Maldonado Williams-Renault 26 Pic
Marussia-Cosworth 25

World Championship standings, round 4: Drivers:
1. Vettel 53
2. Hamilton 49
3. Webber 48
4. Button 43
5. Alonso 43
6. Rosberg 35
7. Raikkonen 34
8. Grosjean 23
9. Perez 22
10. Di Resta 15
11. Senna 14
12. Kobayashi 9
13. Vergne 4
14. Maldonado 4
15. Hulkenberg 2
16. Schumacher 2
17. Massa 2
18. Ricciardo 2

Constructors:
1. Red Bull-Renault 101
2. McLaren-Mercedes 92
3. Lotus-Renault 57
4. Ferrari 45
5. Mercedes 37
6. Sauber-Ferrari 31
7. Williams-Renault 18
8. Force India-Mercedes 17
9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 6


By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

The Chinese Grand Prix - Sunday, April 15th 2012

Nico Rosberg takes commanding maiden F1 win in the Chinese Grand Prix

By Matt Beer Sunday, April 15th 2012, 08:43 GMT

Nico Rosberg, MercedesNico Rosberg finally claimed his maiden Formula 1 race victory, and a first win for the modern incarnation of the factory Mercedes team, with a commanding drive in a thrilling Chinese Grand Prix.

The result made Rosberg the first new winner since Mark Webber took victory in the 2009 German Grand Prix. The last triumph for a works Mercedes was back in the 1955 Italian GP with Juan Manuel Fangio.

McLaren duo Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton completed the podium, ahead of Red Bull's Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel.

At a track where he had led only to fade in each of the last two years, Rosberg ensured he stayed at the head of an absorbing race in which myriad tyre strategies played out through a lead pack that sometimes grew to a dozen cars.

Not only did drivers vary between two and three pitstops, but there were huge differences in stint length. Despite Mercedes' tyre difficulties in the opening two 2012 races, this time the team handled the rubber perfectly - allowing Rosberg to deploy a textbook two-stop strategy and keep himself ahead of most of the action.

The German pulled away from his team-mate Michael Schumacher in the opening laps, soon establishing a four-second lead. Schumacher's chance to feature in the lead battle then ended when he retired with an incorrectly fitted right-front wheel immediately after his first pitstop.

Button was Rosberg's main threat thereafter. A great start immediately took him to third, and he was catching Rosberg on a three-stop plan for a while, only for Rosberg's pace immediately after his final stop to secure his victory even before Button's lost several seconds with a left rear wheel issue at his final pitstop.

Kimi Raikkonen's two-stopping Lotus held second going into the closing stages, but trying to do half the race on his third set of tyres proved too optimistic, and he tumbled from second to 14th in just a handful of laps.

Vettel, following a similar strategy, was first to pass Raikkonen, and looked like he might salvage second from his qualifying disaster. He could not hold off the McLarens or Webber with their fresher tyres from a three-stop strategy, with Button getting through five laps from the end and Hamilton and Webber doing likewise amid a thrilling tussle over the last two laps. Webber took fourth despite his first pitstop coming as early as lap six, and two trips off the road - one of which featured a wild flight over the Turn 13 kerbs.

While Raikkonen fell back, his team-mate Romain Grosjean did a two-stop plan with a very long middle stint and was able to battle to sixth, ahead of Williams duo Bruno Senna and Pastor Maldonado.

Erstwhile championship leader Fernando Alonso was ninth for Ferrari, having lost a little ground running off-track trying to pass Maldonado.

Sauber was a factor in this pack but could not repeat its Malaysian heroics. Kamui Kobayashi fell back with a poor start and finished 10th, just ahead of team-mate Sergio Perez, who led for a while on a two-stop plan. Paul di Resta (Force India) and Felipe Massa - who also led for a spell in his Ferrari - followed them home.

The Chinese Grand Prix
Shanghai, China;
56 laps; 305.066km;
Weather: Dry.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Rosberg Mercedes 1h36:26.929
2. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 20.626
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 26.012
4. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 27.924
5. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 30.483
6. Grosjean Lotus-Renault + 31.491
7. Senna Williams-Renault + 34.597
8. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 35.643
9. Alonso Ferrari + 37.256
10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 38.720
11. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 41.066
12. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 42.273
13. Massa Ferrari + 42.700
14. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 50.500
15. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 51.200
16. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 51.700
17. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:03.100
18. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
19. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
20. Pic Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
21. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
22. Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
23. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 3 laps

Fastest lap: Kobayashi, 1:39.960

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Schumacher Mercedes 16


World Championship standings, round 3:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Hamilton 45 1. McLaren-Mercedes 88
2. Button 43 2. Red Bull-Renault 64
3. Alonso 37 3. Ferrari 37
4. Webber 36 4. Sauber-Ferrari 31
5. Vettel 28 5. Mercedes 26
6. Rosberg 25 6. Lotus-Renault 24
7. Perez 22 7. Williams-Renault 18
8. Raikkonen 16 8. Force India-Mercedes 9
9. Senna 14 9. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 6
10. Kobayashi 9
11. Grosjean 8
12. Di Resta 7
13. Vergne 4
14. Maldonado 4
15. Ricciardo 2
16. Hulkenberg 2
17. Schumacher 1

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

The Malaysian Grand Prix - Sunday, March 25th 2012

Fernando Alonso holds off Perez to win sensational Malaysian Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso held off Sergio Perez to take victory in a remarkable Malaysian Grand Prix, that saw changing weather, a long red flag, and a sensational lead battle between two unlikely contenders.

Alonso's victory took the Ferrari driver into the world championship lead, despite the team's tough start to the season, but only a late error prevented Perez passing the double champion to take what would have been one of Formula 1's most surprising wins ever for Sauber.

Lewis Hamilton completed the podium, with his McLaren team-mate Jenson Button outside the points after a disastrous race. Sebastian Vettel also failed to score due to a clash in traffic, though his Red Bull team-mate Mark Webber claimed fourth ahead of Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) and Bruno Senna (Williams).

Most of the field used intermediates for the start, which took place on a track dry in some parts but extremely wet in others.

The McLarens held their grid formation into the first corner, as Romain Grosjean and Michael Schumacher battled for third until making contact and both spinning as the Lotus slid into the Mercedes, allowing the Red Bulls of Mark Webber and Vettel into third and fourth, ahead of Alonso. Grosjean would put the Lotus into the gravel for good on lap three.

Already the rain was beginning to increase, and it was here that Sauber opted for the masterstroke of putting Perez straight onto extreme wet tyres - a choice nearly everyone would have to follow over the ensuing laps as the circuit became ever-more sodden.

By lap four, Perez was lapping three seconds quicker than the leaders, and that pace meant that by the time everyone had made the switch to wets, the Sauber was up to third behind the two McLarens. Webber, Alonso and Vettel were next up, the Ferrari having split the Red Bulls by taking wets a lap earlier than Vettel.

The storm then increased to the point that a red flag was inevitable, and the field would spend nearly an hour halted on the grid. Particularly notable performances at this stage were Toro Rosso's Jean-Eric Vergne getting up to seventh by virtue of hanging on with intermediates in the deluge, and Narain Karthikeyan appearing in 10th for HRT having started on wets.

Race control mandated wet tyres for the eventual restart, though by the time four laps behind the safety car had been completed the track was right for intermediates, with Button pitting just as racing resumed.

That allowed him to jump ahead of team-mate Hamilton, who also lost out to Alonso in a slightly slow stop. But Button's race then fell apart as he clipped Karthikeyan while coming back through traffic after his stop, forcing him to pit for a new front wing.

Perez stayed out a lap longer than Alonso and Hamilton, and rejoined ahead of them - although the Ferrari immediately overtook the Sauber.

Alonso then began edging away, establishing six-second cushion over Perez, as both dropped the rest of the field.

As the track dried heading into the final third of the race, Perez charged up behind Alonso, whose tyres were fading faster. Before the Sauber could attack, Alonso came in for dry tyres, and reopened a five-second lead by doing so a lap before his rival.

But on a dry track, the Sauber was much quicker than the Ferrari and started taking a second or more per lap out of Alonso's lead, closing onto its tail with seven laps to go - amid radio messages from the team urging him not to jeopardise second place.

Then a mistake coming onto the back straight saw Perez run wide and lose five seconds. The Mexican immediately resumed his charge, but did not have enough laps or enough of a pace advantage to pull off a remarkable win.

Hamilton did not have the pace to catch the top two in wet or dry conditions and finished third. Vettel was on course for fourth until clipping Karthikeyan's HRT in the closing stages - causing a rear puncture that dropped the world champion to 11th and handed fourth to Webber.

Raikkonen continued his strong race form on his F1 return with fifth place for Lotus.

Senna produced an excellent charge to take a career-best finish of sixth for Williams, despite sliding into team-mate Pastor Maldonado on lap one and breaking his front wing.

Both Force Indias scored, with Paul di Resta seventh and Nico Hulkenberg ninth, split by Vergne's Toro Rosso.

Mercedes' weekend fell apart in the race again, with Schumacher only able to get back up to 10th after the first-lap clash and an additional tyre stop leaving Nico Rosberg 14th, behind the delayed Button - whose recovery drive was stymied by tyre difficulties that saw him make another additional stop.

Maldonado had been on course for the final point as he chased Vergne and Hulkenberg in a tight three-way battle, until an engine problem halted the Williams two laps from home.

While one Ferrari took victory ahead of a Ferrari protege, Felipe Massa could only finish 15th after another poor performance in the Italian team's second car.

RACE RESULTS

The Malaysian Grand Prix
Sepang, Malaysia;
56 laps; 310.408km;
Weather: Mixed conditions.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Alonso Ferrari 2h44:51.812
2. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 2.263
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 14.591
4. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 17.688
5. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 29.456
6. Senna Williams-Renault + 37.667
7. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 44.412
8. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 46.985
9. Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes + 47.892
10. Schumacher Mercedes + 49.996
11. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 1:15.527
12. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:16.826
13. Rosberg Mercedes + 1:18.593
14. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 1:19.719
15. Massa Ferrari + 1:37.319
16. Petrov Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
17. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. Kovalainen Caterham-Renault + 1 lap
19. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 2 laps
20. Pic Marussia-Cosworth + 2 laps
21. Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
22. De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps

Fastest lap: Raikkonen, 1:40.722

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 47
Grosjean Lotus-Renault 4


World Championship standings, round 2:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Alonso 35 1. McLaren-Mercedes 55
2. Hamilton 30 2. Red Bull-Renault 42
3. Button 25 3. Ferrari 35
4. Webber 24 4. Sauber-Ferrari 30
5. Perez 22 5. Lotus-Renault 16
6. Vettel 18 6. Force India-Mercedes 9
7. Raikkonen 16 7. Williams-Renault 8
8. Senna 8 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 6
9. Kobayashi 8 9. Mercedes 1
10. Di Resta 7
11. Vergne 4
12. Hulkenberg 2
13. Ricciardo 2
14. Schumacher 1

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

The Australian Grand Prix - Sunday, March 18th 2012

Jenson Button storms to Australian Grand Prix victory

Jenson Button opened the 2012 Formula 1 world championship with a commanding victory for McLaren in the Australian Grand Prix in Melbourne.

World champion Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) managed to get up to second from sixth on the grid, fending off pole-sitter Lewis Hamilton's McLaren and the second Red Bull of Mark Webber.

Fernando Alonso salvaged fifth place from Ferrari's difficult weekend, having proved much more competitive in the race.

Button claimed the lead at the start with a better getaway than his pole-sitting team-mate, and then quickly established a lead of three seconds, which stayed stable through the opening stint.

The two Mercedes occupied third and fourth initially, but Vettel overtook Nico Rosberg on the second lap, and Michael Schumacher's run in third lasted only until lap 10, when he retired with a gearbox problem. That elevated Vettel into third, but the champion was 12 seconds down on the McLarens by then and could make little impression.

Third-place qualifier Romain Grosjean (Lotus) dropped to sixth off the line, and was another early retirement when he clashed with Williams's Pastor Maldonado on lap two. Maldonado would lose ground with a trip through the Turn 6 gravel three laps later, but rejoined in ninth.

The gap between the McLarens grew to 10s at the first stops when Hamilton emerged behind Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) and Sergio Perez (Sauber), who were running extremely long first stints.

That allowed a train of cars to develop for second, as Vettel gained and brought Alonso - who made a great start then jumped Rosberg in the first pitstops - with him, and Rosberg, Webber and the recovering Maldonado closed in too. Webber had initially fallen back with a poor start and a first corner clash with Force India's Nico Hulkenberg, who had to retire.

The lead order remained static until Vitaly Petrov's Caterham brought out a safety car by stopping on the pits straight with a steering problem in the middle of the final pitstop sequence.

The McLarens had both just stopped, whereas Vettel had not, and the Red Bull was able to get in for its tyre change under the safety car and get back out between Button and Hamilton.

Vettel was still no threat to Button, though, as the 2009 champion confidently pulled away from his successor at the restart and left the Red Bull to fend off Hamilton through the final stint.

Webber also benefited from pitting under the safety car to get in front of Alonso at the last stops. The Ferrari could not keep up with the Red Bull thereafter, and as Webber chased Vettel and Hamilton home, Alonso had to focus on successfully defending fifth from Maldonado - who made the task easier when he crashed heavily on the very last lap.

Behind, a huge battle between the Saubers of one-stopper Perez and Kamui Kobayashi, Rosberg's Mercedes - which fell back with tyre wear and early pitstops - and Raikkonen also ended in last-lap drama, as Kobayashi emerged with sixth ahead of Raikkonen and Perez, while Rosberg's Mercedes tumbled to 12th.

The final-lap chaos ahead allowed Toro Rosso's Daniel Ricciardo to pick up his first F1 points at home with ninth place, despite having lost ground in a first-corner clash with Bruno Senna (Williams), which also sent Jean-Eric Vergne off the road in the sister Toro Rosso. Paul di Resta completed the top 10 for Force India.

Felipe Massa briefly made it into the top 10 in the second Ferrari, but struggled with poor pace and high tyre wear, making three stops and falling back to 13th before retiring with damage following a collision with Senna.

The Australian Grand Prix
Albert Park, Australia;
58 laps; 307.574km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1h34:09.565
2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 2.100
3. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 4.000
4. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 4.500
5. Alonso Ferrari + 21.500
6. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 36.700
7. Raikkonen Lotus-Renault + 38.000
8. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 39.400
9. Ricciardo Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 39.500
10. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 39.700
11. Vergne Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 39.800
12. Rosberg Mercedes + 57.600
13. Maldonado Williams-Renault + 1 lap
14. Glock Marussia-Cosworth + 1 lap
15. Pic Marussia-Cosworth + 2 laps
16. Senna Williams-Renault + 4 laps

Fastest lap: Button, 1:29.187

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Massa Ferrari 47
Kovalainen Caterham-Renault 42
Petrov Caterham-Renault 37
Schumacher Mercedes 11
Grosjean Lotus-Renault 2
Hulkenberg Force India-Mercedes 1
Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth 1
De la Rosa HRT-Cosworth 1


World Championship standings, round 1:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Button 25 1. McLaren-Mercedes 40
2. Vettel 18 2. Red Bull-Renault 30
3. Hamilton 15 3. Sauber-Ferrari 12
4. Webber 12 4. Ferrari 10
5. Alonso 10 5. Lotus-Renault 6
6. Kobayashi 8 6. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 2
7. Raikkonen 6 7. Force India-Mercedes 1
8. Perez 4
9. Ricciardo 2
10. Di Resta 1

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

F1 - The Brazilian Grand Prix - 27.11.11

Mark Webber grabs first win of the year in season-ending Brazilian Grand Prix

Mark Webber finally claimed his first victory of the 2011 Formula 1 season in the very last race of the year, as gearbox troubles for world champion Sebastian Vettel opened the door for his Red Bull team-mate in the Brazilian Grand Prix.

Red Bull absolutely dominated the Interlagos race, with Vettel holding the lead at the start, and Webber fending off the cars behind for second despite a slightly slower getaway.

Vettel soon opened up a stable three-second gap to Webber, as the Red Bull duo left the rest in their wake at a rate sometimes up to one second per lap.

But from the early laps Vettel was receiving radio messages warning him to short-shift to nurse a developing gearbox problem, and as the warnings became more vehement, his pace slowed enough for Webber to sweep into the lead on lap 29.

While the Australian went on to take his first win since the 2010 Hungarian GP, Vettel still had enough pace to hang on for second.

He was helped by McLaren's Jenson Button and Ferrari's Fernando Alonso battling over third. Alonso passed Lewis Hamilton's McLaren at the start, then claimed third from Button with a spectacular move around the outside at Ferradura on lap 11.

Alonso then pulled away, only to lose pace on the harder tyres in his final stint, allowing Button to catch and re-pass him nine laps from the finish with an easy DRS pass after various earlier attempts were rebuffed.

Hamilton was set to battle with Felipe Massa - who stopped just twice while most made three pitstops - for fifth until a gearbox failure halted the McLaren, ensuring the Ferrari could keep the place.

Adrian Sutil charged to sixth for Force India, beating Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and the second Force India of Paul di Resta.

Ninth place for Kamui Kobayashi ensured Sauber beat Toro Rosso - which failed to score - to seventh in the constructors' championship. Vitaly Petrov completed the points-scorers for Renault.

His team-mate Bruno Senna clashed with Michael Schumacher at the Senna S early on, giving the Mercedes a puncture. The stewards awarded Senna a drive-through penalty for the collision and with gearbox troubles also developing, he fell to 17th, while Schumacher got back to 15th.

Rubens Barrichello was unable to score in what could be his final grand prix. A poor start dropped the Williams to 21st and he was only able to recover to 14th.

The Brazilian Grand Prix
Interlagos, Sao Paulo, Brazil;
71 laps; 305.909km;
Weather: Cloudy.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Webber Red Bull-Renault 1h32:17.434
2. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 16.983
3. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 27.638
4. Alonso Ferrari + 35.048
5. Massa Ferrari + 1:06.733
6. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
7. Rosberg Mercedes + 1 lap
8. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
9. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
10. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
11. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
12. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
13. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
14. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
15. Schumacher Mercedes + 1 lap
16. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
17. Senna Renault + 2 laps
18. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
19. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 3 laps
20. Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth + 3 laps

Fastest lap: Webber, 1:15.324

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 62
Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 37
Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 27
Glock Virgin-Cosworth 22


World Championship standings, round 19:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 392 1. Red Bull-Renault 650
2. Button 270 2. McLaren-Mercedes 497
3. Webber 258 3. Ferrari 375
4. Alonso 257 4. Mercedes 165
5. Hamilton 227 5. Renault 73
6. Massa 118 6. Force India-Mercedes 69
7. Rosberg 89 7. Sauber-Ferrari 44
8. Schumacher 76 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 41
9. Sutil 42 9. Williams-Cosworth 5
10. Petrov 37
11. Heidfeld 34
12. Kobayashi 30
13. Di Resta 27
14. Alguersuari 26
15. Buemi 15
16. Perez 14
17. Barrichello 4
18. Senna 2
19. Maldonado 1

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

F1 - The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - 13.11.11

Hamilton dominates the Abu Dhabi GP as Sebastian Vettel retires

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton ended a victory drought stretching back to July by winning the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - after world champion Sebastian Vettel retired on the very first lap due to damage from a puncture.

Fernando Alonso was a close second for Ferrari, with Jenson Button completing the podium despite KERS issues on his McLaren.

Vettel had surged into a clear lead from pole at the first corner, but just one bend later his Red Bull was slewing into a wild spin as its right rear tyre deflated. The champion tried to nurse his car back to the pits, but the flailing rubber had already done too much damage, so Vettel posted his first retirement since last year's Korean GP.

That put Hamilton into the lead, with Alonso in second having passed Mark Webber (Red Bull) at the start and then gone around the outside of Button at the end of the back straight to secure second.

There was little to choose between the McLaren and Ferrari for most of the rest of the race - with the gap sometimes barely more than a second. Ferrari tried to gain an advantage by running longer before Alonso's second stop, but to no avail, and in the final stint Hamilton's lead grew to more comfortable levels as he headed towards his third win of an often-troubled 2011 season.

After losing time with a stubborn wheel at his first stop, Webber tried to regain ground with a three-stop strategy that saw him only change to the harder Pirellis on the very last lap. That did not allow him to beat Button - with whom he had battled fiercely for much of the race - but he did take fourth, helped by Felipe Massa's challenge fading when the Ferrari had a quick spin with six laps to go. The Brazilian quickly rejoined to take fifth.

Mercedes duo Nico Rosberg and Michael Schumacher had a spectacular early battle, won by the younger German, who went on to take sixth, close behind Massa. Schumacher narrowly beat Force India's Adrian Sutil to seventh. Sutil's team-mate Paul di Resta and Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi completed the points scorers, the former pulling off a one-stop strategy.

Just outside the top 10, Rubens Barrichello ended Williams's awful weekend on a slightly brighter note by charging from the back of the grid to 12th, right on 11th-placed Sauber driver Sergio Perez's tail.

The Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Yas Marina, United Arab Emirates;
55 laps; 305.355km;
Weather: Clear.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 1h37:11.886
2. Alonso Ferrari + 8.457
3. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 25.881
4. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 35.784
5. Massa Ferrari + 50.578
6. Rosberg Mercedes + 52.317
7. Schumacher Mercedes + 1:15.900
8. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1:17.100
9. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:40.000
10. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
11. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
13. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
14. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
15. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
16. Senna Renault + 1 lap
17. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 1 lap
18. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
19. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
20. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps

Fastest lap: Webber, 1:42.612

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 49
Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 19
D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 18
Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1


World Championship standings, round 18:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 374 1. Red Bull-Renault 607
2. Button 255 2. McLaren-Mercedes 482
3. Alonso 245 3. Ferrari 353
4. Webber 233 4. Mercedes 159
5. Hamilton 227 5. Renault 72
6. Massa 108 6. Force India-Mercedes 57
7. Rosberg 83 7. Sauber-Ferrari 42
8. Schumacher 76 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 41
9. Petrov 36 9. Williams-Cosworth 5
10. Sutil 34
11. Heidfeld 34
12. Kobayashi 28
13. Alguersuari 26
14. Di Resta 23
15. Buemi 15
16. Perez 14
17. Barrichello 4
18. Senna 2
19. Maldonado 1

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

Wales Rally GB - 10 - 13 Nov 11

Jari-Matti Latvala clinches Rally GB victory for Ford

Jari-Matti Latvala finally took his first victory of the 2011 World Rally season in Great Britain, emerging as the last man standing at the end of a dramatic weekend in the Welsh forests.

The title fight was resolved early when Mikko Hirvonen retired his Ford on Friday after damaging the car's radiator in a spin. Up to then, the Finn and title rival Sebastien Loeb had been swapping the lead in an extremely tight battle, but Hirvonen's exit meant Loeb knew by Friday night that his eighth straight championship was in the bag.

Latvala then stepped up to challenge Loeb for the rest of the weekend, taking the lead on Saturday afternoon then finding himself with a huge advantage when a freak collision with a road car ended Loeb's rally this morning, eventually winning by nearly four minutes.

"It's a great feeling," said Latvala. "It's been a long time since I won - one and a half years. It's been a very stressful time and frustrating. This is a great, great way to finish the season."

Mads Ostberg ended the season on a high with second place after one of his most competitive drives of the year. The Stobart Ford driver got ahead of Petter Solberg when the Citroen sustained a puncture on Friday, and after a broken fuel pipe ended Solberg's rally on Saturday morning, Ostberg was free to cruise to the finish, surviving an engine scare along the way.

Ostberg's team-mate Henning Solberg secured his first podium finish in over two years with third place. Mini driver Kris Meeke had been closing rapidly today as he recovered from some early dramas, but a spin on the final stage stopped Meeke from claiming his first WRC podium and left Solberg safe in third.

Fourth was still a fine result for Mini on home ground. Dani Sordo had also been running in the top six in the sister car before crashing on Friday.

The rest of the top nine was filled with Ford privateers. Matthew Wilson stayed clear of impressive WRC debutant Ott Tanak - flying on DMACK's latest tyres - and Evgeny Novikov to take fifth at home. The other points went to Dennis Kuipers (FERM Ford), Ken Block (Monster Ford) and Armindo Araujo (Italia Mini).

Citroen's other works driver Sebastien Ogier barely featured in this rally, crashing on Thursday afternoon's opening Great Orme stage and spending the rest of the weekend a long way down the order running under superally rules.

Leading finishers after SS23:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford 3h27m03.5s
2. Mads Ostberg Stobart Ford + 3m42.9s
3. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford + 7m05.1s
4. Kris Meeke Mini + 7m12.3s
5. Matthew Wilson Stobart Ford + 8m57.3s
6. Ott Tanak M-Sport Ford + 9m27.1s
7. Evgeny Novikov Abu Dhabi Ford + 9m47.7s
8. Dennis Kuipers FERM Ford + 10m12.7s
9. Ken Block Monster Ford + 16m01.2s
10. Armindo Araujo Italia Mini + 17m01.6s

Other WRC finishers:

11. Sebastien Ogier Citroen 17m47.8s
20. Dani Sordo Mini + 38m10.5s
22. Martin Prokop Czech Mini + 39m43.2s
36. Daniel Oliveira Brazil Mini + 1h09m25.0s

WRC retirements:

Sebastien Loeb Citroen SS19
Kimi Raikkonen Ice 1 Citroen SS13
Mikko Hirvonen Ford SS7
Peter van Merksteijn Van Merksteijn Citroen SS5

Leading power stage results:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sebastien Ogier Citroen 2m41.3s
2. Dani Sordo Mini + 2.7s
3. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford + 3.2s
4. Matthew Wilson Stobart Ford + 4.0s
5. Ott Tanak M-Sport Ford + 4.1s

http://www.autosport.com

F1 - The Indian Grand Prix - 30.10.11

Sebastian Vettel cruises to Indian GP victory ahead of Jenson Button

Sebastian Vettel strolled to his 11th victory of the season at the Buddh International Circuit to become the winner of Formula 1's first ever Indian Grand Prix.

The Red Bull driver's latest triumph was one of his most straightforward of his ultra-successful year. As his front row partner and team-mate Mark Webber was attacked by Jenson Button's McLaren and Fernando Alonso's Ferrari at the start, Vettel was free to pull clear.

He sat on a four to five second lead for most of the distance, as he led every lap and completed a perfect performance with the fastest lap of the race as well.

Button got through to second on the first lap, as Alonso twitched under braking and ran wide, letting Webber keep third. The Australian mounted some vigorous attacks on Button over the opening laps, before the McLaren managed to escape and head off for an ultimately uncontested second.

Webber then lost third to Alonso at the final stops, when being the first of the frontrunners to change to the hard Pirellis cost him.

Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa's turbulent season continued with yet another collision between them. The Ferrari had got ahead of the McLaren on the first lap and was a safe distance ahead until an error just before half-distance left Massa vulnerable to attacks from Hamilton.

They eventually collided as Hamilton went down the inside at Turn 5 - with the stewards deciding Massa was at fault for leaving insufficient room and giving the Brazilian a drive-through penalty. Massa later retired when he smashed his suspension on a kerb, just as he had in qualifying, while Hamilton recovered from ninth to seventh after pitting for a new front wing.

He finished behind the two Mercedes, which were led by Michael Schumacher, who had moved onto Nico Rosberg's tail with a fast start then jumped him for fifth with a late final pitstop.

Toro Rosso looked set to get both cars in the points until Sebastien Buemi stopped with smoke pouring from his machine. Jaime Alguersuari went on to take eighth, ahead of Adrian Sutil in the leading Force India, and Sergio Perez, as the Sauber man proved the most successful of those who ran ultra-short opening stints on hard tyres then switched to softs for the duration.

Perez narrowly beat Renault's Vitaly Petrov, who followed the same strategy. Bruno Senna challenged for points in the second Renault but was hampered by KERS issues and finished 12th, followed by Paul di Resta (Force India) and Heikki Kovalainen's Lotus - which showed strong race pace to run as high as 10th.

The Buddh layout proved tricky for the field to safely navigate as one on the first lap. First a brush between the two Williams sent Rubens Barrichello into Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber, which then rejoined in the path of Timo Glock's Virgin. Among several other brushes of wheels around the lap, Jarno Trulli was left with a puncture after his Lotus was punted into a spin by an HRT.

The Indian Grand Prix
Noida, New Delhi, India;
60 laps; 308.220km;
Weather: Dusty.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h30:35.002
2. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 8.433
3. Alonso Ferrari + 24.301
4. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 25.529
5. Schumacher Mercedes + 1:05.421
6. Rosberg Mercedes + 1:06.851
7. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 1:24.183
8. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
9. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
10. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
11. Petrov Renault + 1 lap
12. Senna Renault + 1 lap
13. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
14. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
15. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 2 laps
16. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
17. Karthikeyan HRT-Cosworth + 3 laps
18. Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth + 3 laps
19. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 4 laps

Fastest lap: Vettel, 1:27.457

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Massa Ferrari 33
Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 25
Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 13
Glock Virgin-Cosworth 3
Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 1


World Championship standings, round 17:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 374 1. Red Bull-Renault 595
2. Button 240 2. McLaren-Mercedes 442
3. Alonso 227 3. Ferrari 325
4. Webber 221 4. Mercedes 145
5. Hamilton 202 5. Renault 72
6. Massa 98 6. Force India-Mercedes 51
7. Rosberg 75 7. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 41
8. Schumacher 70 8. Sauber-Ferrari 41
9. Petrov 36 9. Williams-Cosworth 5
10. Heidfeld 34
11. Sutil 30
12. Kobayashi 27
13. Alguersuari 26
14. Di Resta 21
15. Buemi 15
16. Perez 14
17. Barrichello 4
18. Senna 2
19. Maldonado 1

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

RACC Rally de Espana - 20 - 23 Oct 11

Sebastien Loeb clinches victory for Citroen in Spain

Sebastien Loeb will take an eight-point lead into the World Rally Championship decider in Wales next month after clinching victory in Spain.

The Citroen driver led home title rival Mikko Hirvonen, who had struggled for speed all weekend and only gained second via team orders issued to his Ford team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala. Sebastien Ogier (Citroen) retired on the final loop.

Loeb's rivals' hopes rested on the champion losing time when running first on the road on the mostly-gravel first day - but they would be disappointed when the dust hanging in the air proved a bigger obstacle for drivers behind than the slippery surface was for Loeb.

As conditions improved on Friday afternoon, Latvala moved past Loeb to lead and Ogier closed to within two seconds of him, only for both Latvala and Ogier to lose time with punctures and errors.

Latvala remained second, but fell half a minute behind Loeb - a gap he could not close on the remaining two days on asphalt. In any case, Latvala was always likely to be asked to relinquish second to Ford's title contender Hirvonen, with the switch occurring when Latvala deliberately picked up a penalty for checking in early before the final stage.

Ogier dropped more time with a second puncture on Saturday morning, and was only fifth when an engine problem brought his rally and championship hopes to an end with one stage to go.

Mini's Dani Sordo lost too much ground in Friday's dust to repeat his France podium, but finished fourth ahead of team-mate Kris Meeke. Meeke and Sordo took a one-two on the bonus points power stage, having correctly taken soft tyres for the damp conditions.

Petter Solberg never had chance to join the lead fight, taking a wheel off his Citroen on the very first stage of the weekend.

Mads Ostberg was a lonely sixth in the top Stobart Ford. His regular team-mate Evgeny Novikov switched to a Citroen Racing Tecnologies entry this weekend to sample the DS3 and beat Stobart's Henning Solberg to take his first points of the year in seventh. Third Stobart driver Matthew Wilson crashed out of a points finish on the penultimate stage when pressured by Dennis Kuipers' FERM Ford.

Juho Hanninen added the 2011 S2000 WRC class title to his 2010 Intercontinental Rally Challenge crown by beating Nasser Al-Attiyah to the division victory and 10th overall in Spain. Hanninen's championship rival Ott Tanak's title hopes ended with a crash on the very first stage.

Production champion Hayden Paddon failed to start Friday's leg due to electrical problems, leaving Patrik Flodin to beat Michal Kosciuszko to class victory by just two seconds.

Leading finishers after SS18:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 4h05m39.3s
2. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 2m06.9s
3. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford + 2m32.4s
4. Dani Sordo Mini + 3m24.1s
5. Kris Meeke Mini + 5m15.0s
6. Mads Ostberg Stobart Ford + 5m54.2s
7. Evgeny Novikov CRT Citroen + 9m31.8s
8. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford + 9m40.1s
9. Dennis Kuipers FERM Ford + 11m13.8s
10. Juho Hanninen Red Bull Skoda + 13m49.2s

Other WRC finishers:

12. Khalid Al-Qassimi Ford + 14m39.0s
16. Federico Villagra Munchi's Ford + 17m36.6s
17. Peter van Merksteijn Van Merksteijn Citroen + 18m45.7s
25. Daniel Oliveira Brazil Mini + 38m50.0s

WRC retirements:

Sebastien Ogier Citroen SS17
Matthew Wilson Stobart Ford SS17
Ken Block Monster Ford SS13
Armindo Araujo Italia Mini SS13
Kimi Raikkonen Ice 1 Citroen SS3
Petter Solberg Solberg Citroen SS1

Leading power stage times:

1. Kris Meeke Mini 2m45.7s
2. Dani Sordo Mini + 0.2s
3. Sebastien Loeb Citroen + 4.9s
4. Daniel Oliveira Brazil Mini + 8.0s
5. Juho Hanninen Red Bull Skoda + 8.9s

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

F1 - The Korean Grand Prix - 16.10.11

Vettel takes commanding win in Korea

Sebastian Vettel cruised to his 10th win of the season at the Korean Grand Prix, wrapping up back-to-back Constructors' World Championship titles for Red Bull in the process.

The German, who took the drivers' title last weekend in Japan, started second on the grid alongside Lewis Hamilton, but outbraked his McLaren into Turn 4 on the opening lap to take a decisive advantage.

A four-second lead was wiped out when Vitaly Petrov took Michael Schumacher out of the race at Turn 3, the resultant debris bringing out the safety car. But when racing resumed, Vettel was again able to pull away. His eventual winning margin over Hamilton was 11s.

Hamilton's runner-up spot was anything but easy. Mark Webber, in the second Red Bull, was never more than 1.5s behind him, and closed onto the McLaren driver's tail during the second half of the race.

A quick decision to bring Hamilton in for his final pitstop just as his rear tyres were beginning to go off managed to keep him ahead of Webber - who stopped on the same lap.

The Australian seemed to have more pace than the Briton, the pair running side-by-side for a number of corners on lap 34, and Webber eventually making it into second at the first corner with five laps to go.

Blessed with the superior traction of the McLaren, and employing a tactic of using all his KERS and DRS at the same time, Hamilton retook the position seconds later on the long run down to Turn 3, and held it to the finish, even setting the fastest lap on the penultimate tour.

Jenson Button fell from third to sixth on the opening lap following strong starts from Ferrari drivers Felipe Massa and Fernando Alonso. Such was Massa's lack of pace on worn tyres, that Nico Rosberg made it a four-way battle for the position as they approached the opening round of pitstops.

While Alonso dropped out of the battle after staying out too long on worn rubber, the action concerned Button and Rosberg, who pitted together on lap 14.

Rosberg got out ahead of Button, the Briton giving way at the pit exit after running side-by-side with the Mercedes driver down the pitlane, but then surrendered the position by outbraking himself and running wide as the rejoined the track.

Rosberg regained the place with the aid of DRS a few seconds later, but could only keep the McLaren behind him for another lap.

Massa, by this stage, had fallen behind the pair, and was also overtaken by Alonso at the second round of stops, after a couple of sensational laps from the Spaniard on old rubber.

Button and Alonso finished fourth and fifth, just behind the Hamilton/Webber battle, while Massa was next up.

Jaime Alguersuari put in another strong performance to finish seventh, the Spaniard passing Rosberg for the position on the final lap after a couple of unsuccessful earlier attempts, while his Toro Rosso team-mate Sebastien Buemi was one place further back.

Paul di Resta completed the points scorers, ahead of his Force India team-mate Adrian Sutil, while Pastor Maldonado - who was in the mix with the Force Indias behind the safety car, was given a drive-through penalty for hitting a bollard at pit entry, and later retired.

The Korean Grand Prix
Korea Auto Valley, Yongam, Korea;
55 laps; 305.909km;
Weather: Dry.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h30:01.994
2. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 12.019
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 12.477
4. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 14.694
5. Alonso Ferrari + 15.689
6. Massa Ferrari + 25.133
7. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 49.538
8. Rosberg Mercedes + 54.053
9. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:02.762
10. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:08.602
11. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1:11.229
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1:33.068
13. Senna Renault + 1 lap
14. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 1 lap
15. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
16. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
17. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 1 lap
18. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 1 lap
19. Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap
20. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 1 lap
21. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 3 laps

Fastest lap: Vettel, 1:39.605

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Maldonado Williams-Cosworth 31
Petrov Renault 17
Schumacher Mercedes 16


World Championship standings, round 16:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 349 1. Red Bull-Renault 558
2. Button 222 2. McLaren-Mercedes 418
3. Alonso 212 3. Ferrari 310
4. Webber 209 4. Mercedes 127
5. Hamilton 196 5. Renault 72
6. Massa 98 6. Force India-Mercedes 49
7. Rosberg 67 7. Sauber-Ferrari 40
8. Schumacher 60 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 37
9. Petrov 36 9. Williams-Cosworth 5
10. Heidfeld 34
11. Sutil 28
12. Kobayashi 27
13. Alguersuari 22
14. Di Resta 21
15. Buemi 15
16. Perez 13
17. Barrichello 4
18. Senna 2
19. Maldonado 1

By Jamie O'Leary
http://www.autosport.com

F1 - The Japanese Grand Prix - 09.10.11

Vettel clinches second F1 title as Button wins the Japanese Grand Prix

Sebastian Vettel clinched the 2011 Formula 1 world championship with third place in the Japanese Grand Prix, as Jenson Button took victory for McLaren ahead of Fernando Alonso's Ferrari.

The result was Button's first win for McLaren in a totally dry race, and while Vettel's Suzuka winning streak ended, the Red Bull man's podium finish was still more than adequate to make him the champion for a second consecutive year.

Vettel clearly would have preferred to clinch his title with a win - underlining his determination by very firmly defending his lead against the faster starting Button off the line. The McLaren had to flirt with the grass in the close call, prompting Button to enquire over the radio whether Vettel ought to get a penalty. The incident was investigated, but no action was taken.

As Button lost momentum, his team-mate Lewis Hamilton swept around the outside of him into second, where he would stay until signs of a right rear puncture forced him to slow abruptly and make a slightly early pitstop at the end of lap seven. This would drop Hamilton to fourth once the first stops were completed, behind Alonso - who had passed his Ferrari team-mate Felipe Massa into the first corner early on.

Button was keeping his tyres in better shape than Vettel, and closed right in on the Red Bull at the end of the stint. Vettel pitted a lap earlier and stayed ahead in the first stops - but not in the second stops on laps 19 and 20, where Button's superb in-lap pace and a great McLaren stop got the Briton out in the lead.

The safety car came out shortly afterwards to clear some debris, including a chunk of Massa's Ferrari bodywork deposited at the chicane when he made contact with Hamilton while trying to go around the outside of the McLaren for fourth. This clash was also investigated, but no action was taken.

With the pack bunched up by the yellow, Vettel found himself back in traffic when he made an early third stop to switch to medium tyres on lap 33.

Button ran three laps longer and extended his lead, with Alonso staying out a further lap still and emerging just ahead of the frustrated Vettel.

The soon-to-be-champion was all over Alonso for a while, until Red Bull suggested now was not the time to take any risks. Alonso then shot off after leader Button, closing to within a second before the McLaren raised its pace in response.

Mark Webber jumped Massa and Hamilton with an early second stop and secured fourth, while having lost out to Massa in the same pit sequence just after their clash, Hamilton overtook the Ferrari again into the first corner on lap 37.

Michael Schumacher took sixth, staying out very late before his third and final stop and therefore leading a grand prix for the first time in his F1 comeback. That strategy also allowed the Mercedes driver to beat Massa to sixth.

Two-stop strategies worked brilliantly for Sergio Perez (Sauber) - who surprisingly set the fastest lap - and Vitaly Petrov (Renault) as they took eighth and ninth. Nico Rosberg charged from the back row to take the final point for Mercedes.

Home hero Kamui Kobayashi's hopes of a great race were ruined by a poor start that left him in traffic all afternoon. He could only finish 13th for Sauber, behind the two Force Indias.

Bruno Senna also lost out on lap one, getting away slightly slowly, then running wide. That and a slow first stop left his Renault only 16th.

The only retirement of the race was Sebastien Buemi, whose Toro Rosso left its first stop with its right front wheel dangling off.

The Japanese Grand Prix
Suzuka, Japan;
53 laps; 307.573km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Button McLaren-Mercedes 1h30:53.427
2. Alonso Ferrari + 1.160
3. Vettel Red Bull-Renault + 2.006
4. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 8.071
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 24.268
6. Schumacher Mercedes + 27.120
7. Massa Ferrari + 28.240
8. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 39.377
9. Petrov Renault + 42.607
10. Rosberg Mercedes + 44.322
11. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 54.447
12. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:02.326
13. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1:03.705
14. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1:04.194
15. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1:06.623
16. Senna Renault + 1:12.628
17. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1:14.191
18. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 1:27.824
19. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 1:36.140
20. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
21. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
22. Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps
23. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 2 laps

Fastest lap: Button, 1:36.568

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 35


World Championship standings, round 15:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 324 1. Red Bull-Renault 518
2. Button 210 2. McLaren-Mercedes 388
3. Alonso 202 3. Ferrari 292
4. Webber 194 4. Mercedes 123
5. Hamilton 178 5. Renault 72
6. Massa 90 6. Force India-Mercedes 48
7. Rosberg 63 7. Sauber-Ferrari 40
8. Schumacher 60 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 29
9. Petrov 36 9. Williams-Cosworth 5
10. Heidfeld 34
11. Sutil 28
12. Kobayashi 27
13. Di Resta 20
14. Alguersuari 16
15. Buemi 13
16. Perez 13
17. Barrichello 4
18. Senna 2
19. Maldonado 1

Rallye de France Alsace - 29 Sep - 02 Oct 11

Sebastien Ogier brings himself back into title hunt with Rally of France victory

Sebastien Ogier is now just three points behind Sebastien Loeb with two rounds of the World Rally Championship to go after winning a hard-fought Rally of France.

Loeb had led the first two stages of his home event, only to suffer a rare Citroen engine problem on SS3 and have to retire.

That left his team-mate Ogier in a huge three-way battle with Petter Solberg (Solberg Citroen) and Dani Sordo - who was driving a remarkable rally in the new Mini.

All three had spells in the lead, and while Solberg fell back to third with a puncture on Saturday, Sordo kept the pressure on Ogier until the end.

Ogier had got his lead up to 9.5s on Saturday night, only for Sordo to strike back and get it back down to 4.9s on day three's first three stages. But Ogier was able to edge clear again on the home stretch and secure a vital fifth win of the year by 6.3s.

"Very good feeling, it was a bit difficult at the end, I had a not so good drive on the power stage but the most important thing is to get the victory," said Ogier. "For sure it's good for the championship, now we'll have to do two good last rallies of the season."

Sordo admitted to some disappointment at not winning, but was still thrilled to claim Mini's best

"It's incredible," said Sordo. "A little bit disappointed because in the end I didn't take the victory, but we have to be happy."

Ford was unable to fully capitalise on Loeb's misfortune. Both Mikko Hirvonen and Jari-Matti Latvala made mistakes on Friday morning, and the former was off the pace all weekend - requiring team orders to receive Latvala's fourth place on the final stage. Latvala checked in early at the pre-SS23 regroup to take a two-minute penalty and fall to fifth. Hirvonen is also now within three points of Loeb in the standings.

FERM Ford driver Dennis Kuipers produced his best WRC performance yet to hold off Henning Solberg's Stobart Ford and take sixth.

Three punctures relegated Mads Ostberg to eighth in another Stobart entry, while team-mate Evgeny Novikov had a puncture on Friday then crashed on Saturday.

Ken Block was another man showing his best WRC form to date as he took the Monster Ford to ninth, just ahead of Pierre Campana, driving a Mini entered by the French federation. Armindo Araujo looked set for seventh in another private Mini before crashing out this morning.

Ott Tanak moved into the S2000 championship lead by taking a dominant win on a weekend when rival Juho Hanninen was delayed by a puncture then crashed while trying to fight back.

Leading finishers after SS23:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sebastien Ogier Citroen 3h06m20.4s
2. Dani Sordo Mini + 6.3s
3. Petter Solberg Solberg Citroen + 1m23.8s
4. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 3m26.6s
5. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford + 3m30.3s
6. Dennis Kuipers FERM Ford + 6m42.0s
7. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford + 7m08.3s
8. Mads Ostberg Stobart Ford + 7m58.3s
9. Ken Block Monster Ford + 8m25.5s
10. Pierre Campana France Mini + 8m38.7s

Other WRC finishers:

11. Matthew Wilson Stobart Ford + 10m00.8s
13. Khalid Al Qassimi Abu Dhabi Ford + 12m28.2s
24. Evgeny Novikov Stobart Ford + 39m25.8s

WRC retirements:

Armindo Araujo Italia Mini SS18
Daniel Oliveira Brazil Mini SS15
Kris Meeke Mini SS13
Peter van Merksteijn Van Merksteijn Citroen SS8
Sebastien Loeb Citroen SS3
Kimi Raikkonen Ice 1 Citroen SS3

Leading power stage times:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford 3m09.4s
2. Dani Sordo Mini + 2.1s
3. Sebastien Ogier Citroen + 2.5s
4. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 2.5s
5. Matthew Wilson Stobart Ford + 4.6s

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

F1 - The Singapore Grand Prix - 25.09.11

Vettel on brink of title after Singapore Grand Prix victory
Sebastian Vettel moved to the brink of a second title by winning the Singapore Grand Prix, but Jenson Button's runner-up finish meant the German was one point shy of the championship lead he required to wrap things up for 2011.

Vettel utterly dominated the majority of the race. The Red Bull man was a second per lap faster than his pursuers at first, and though the pack closed up with a mid-race safety car after Michael Schumacher clipped Sergio Perez and was launched into a violent accident - from which he emerged unhurt - Vettel had a cushion of backmarkers behind him at the restart and was eight seconds clear again after just one lap.

McLaren driver Button started closing in with some very rapid late laps, but Vettel always appeared to have everything under control as he clinched his ninth win of the season.

Button had claimed second with a quick start, while Vettel's front row partner team-mate Mark Webber got away slowly. Lewis Hamilton challenged Webber down the inside in the second McLaren but ran out of space and fell as low as eighth, while Fernando Alonso took his Ferrari around the outside of everyone to grab third from fifth on the grid.

Webber twice passed Alonso on the road, having to get back ahead after the Ferrari reclaimed third in the first pitstops following an on-track exchange. But a bold dive into the Turn 10 chicane amid traffic on the restart lap secured Webber's third place and he pulled away thereafter.

Hamilton had a highly eventful run to fifth. He quickly recovered from being wrong-footed on the first lap but then clipped Felipe Massa while racing with the Ferrari immediately after the first stops. The McLaren picked up both wing damage and a penalty, while Massa was left with a puncture.

A fightback charge from Hamilton took him from a post-drive-through 15th to fifth in the end, helped by the safety car closing him onto the lead pack again. A string of DRS passes got him back into the top five, though having to pit for another set of tyres while those behind him did not meant Hamilton had to make a lot of his moves twice before his top five finish was secure.

Paul di Resta secured the best result of his Formula 1 career so far in sixth for Force India. A very long first stint and the ability to make his second and final stop just as the safety car came out got him ahead of Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and the second Force India of Adrian Sutil.

Massa fell to 20th following the clash with Hamilton, before clawing his way back through to salvage some points in ninth.

Perez's Sauber was undamaged in the incident with Schumacher, which happened when the Mercedes was coming back through after a pitstop, and he finished 10th.

The Singapore Grand Prix
Singapore, Singapore;
61 laps; 309.087km;
Weather: Dry.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h59:06.537
2. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 1.737
3. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 29.279
4. Alonso Ferrari + 55.449
5. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 1:07.766
6. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1:51.067
7. Rosberg Mercedes + 1 lap
8. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
9. Massa Ferrari + 1 lap
10. Perez Sauber-Ferrari + 1 lap
11. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
12. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
13. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
14. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 2 laps
15. Senna Renault + 2 laps
16. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
17. Petrov Renault + 2 laps
18. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps
19. Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth + 4 laps
20. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 4 laps
21. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 5 laps

Fastest lap: Button, 1:48.454

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Trulli Lotus-Renault 48
Schumacher Mercedes 29
Glock Virgin-Cosworth 10


World Championship standings, round 14:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 309 1. Red Bull-Renault 491
2. Button 185 2. McLaren-Mercedes 353
3. Alonso 184 3. Ferrari 268
4. Webber 182 4. Mercedes 114
5. Hamilton 168 5. Renault 70
6. Massa 84 6. Force India-Mercedes 48
7. Rosberg 62 7. Sauber-Ferrari 36
8. Schumacher 52 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 29
9. Heidfeld 34 9. Williams-Cosworth 5
10. Petrov 34
11. Sutil 28
12. Kobayashi 27
13. Di Resta 20
14. Alguersuari 16
15. Buemi 13
16. Perez 9
17. Barrichello 4
18. Senna 2
19. Maldonado 1

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

F1 - The Italian Grand Prix - 11.09.11

Vettel closes in on title with dominant Monza victory

Sebastian Vettel cruised to his eighth victory of the 2011 Formula 1 season as he proved that Red Bull had firmly conquered its Monza weak spot by dominating the Italian Grand Prix.

Jenson Button won a battle with Fernando Alonso for second, with Lewis Hamilton having to settle for fourth after spending much of the race trapped behind Michael Schumacher. Mark Webber - Vettel's closest challenger in the points prior to the weekend - crashed out early.

Alonso had briefly raised the Italian crowd's hopes by surging his Ferrari to the front in a spectacular start from fourth on the grid. Poleman Vettel was slow away and was attacked first by Hamilton's McLaren before Alonso appeared down the inside, briefly took to the grass and slipped ahead, with Hamilton running out of space and falling to third behind Vettel.

Carnage further back would prompt an immediate safety car. Tonio Liuzzi lost control of his HRT under braking and spun down the inside grass before slamming into Nico Rosberg's Mercedes and Vitaly Petrov's Renault in the middle of the Rettifilio. Rubens Barrichello's Williams and Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber picked up damage in the consequent traffic jam, while Bruno Senna (Renault), Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso) and Adrian Sutil (Force India) all had to trundle through the gravel in avoidance.

At the lap four restart Hamilton was caught unaware by Schumacher, who had thrust his Mercedes to fourth at the start and then grabbed third from the McLaren.

Webber was taking sixth from Button at the same time, both having lost ground at the start. But when the Red Bull attacked Felipe Massa into the first chicane a lap later, Webber ended up tagging the Ferrari into a spin and smashing his front wing, which then folded under the car and caused him to crash at the Parabolica.

The other Red Bull was faring better. Vettel was all over Alonso as soon as racing resumed, and on lap five he managed to get through into the Roggia chicane despite having put two wheels on the Curva Grande grass moments earlier as the Ferrari defended. After that, Vettel was unstoppable, storming away and holding a 15-second cushion for most of the rest of the race as he notched up yet another victory.

Alonso then came under attack from Schumacher and Hamilton for a while, but soon the latter pair were too busy with each other. The Mercedes' incredible straightline speed and some firm defending from Schumacher kept Hamilton at bay despite the Briton trying move after move.

Button caught them too, and was able to pass both in quick succession on lap 16 - taking Hamilton when he had to abruptly back off as Schumacher slammed the door shut at the Curva Grande, and then slicing down the outside of the Mercedes into Ascari.

That left Button free to chase down Alonso, who he overtook shortly after the second pitstops when the Ferrari got a poor exit from the first chicane.

Hamilton finally overtook Schumacher using the pre-Ascari DRS zone on lap 27, and then mounted his own pursuit of Alonso - catching the Ferrari on the final lap and just running out of time to try a pass.

Massa recovered from the Webber incident to take sixth behind Schumacher.

Sergio Perez looked assured of seventh on a one-stop strategy until his Sauber's gearbox failed, which meant Jaime Alguersuari (Toro Rosso) could take the place after a strong drive from 18th on the grid.

Di Resta, Senna and Buemi recovered from their first-corner delays to complete the points-scorers.

A fine start and a safe passage through the first-lap mess saw Pastor Maldonado run as high as sixth for Williams. But he did not have the pace to stay there and slipped to 11th by the finish.

Behind the delayed Barrichello, the high attrition rate allowed Lotus duo Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli, and Virgin's Timo Glock, to take potentially useful finishes in 13th through 15th places.

RACE RESULTS

The Italian Grand Prix
Autodromo di Monza, Italy;
53 laps; 306.720km;
Weather: Sunny.

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h20:46.172
2. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 9.590
3. Alonso Ferrari + 16.909
4. Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes + 17.471
5. Schumacher Mercedes + 32.677
6. Massa Ferrari + 42.993
7. Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
8. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1 lap
9. Senna Renault + 1 lap
10. Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari + 1 lap
11. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
12. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
13. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 1 lap
14. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 2 laps
15. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 2 laps

Fastest lap: Hamilton, 1:26.187

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 40
Perez Sauber-Ferrari 34
Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari 23
Sutil Force India-Mercedes 11
Webber Red Bull-Renault 6
D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth 3
Petrov Renault 1
Rosberg Mercedes 1
Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth 1


World Championship standings, round 13:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 284 1. Red Bull-Renault 451
2. Alonso 172 2. McLaren-Mercedes 325
3. Webber 167 3. Ferrari 254
4. Button 167 4. Mercedes 108
5. Hamilton 158 5. Renault 70
6. Massa 82 6. Force India-Mercedes 36
7. Rosberg 56 7. Sauber-Ferrari 35
8. Schumacher 52 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 29
9. Petrov 34 9. Williams-Cosworth 5
10. Heidfeld 34
11. Kobayashi 27
12. Sutil 24
13. Alguersuari 16
14. Buemi 13
15. Di Resta 12
16. Perez 8
17. Barrichello 4
18. Senna 2
19. Maldonado 1

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com

Rally Australia - 08 - 11 Sep 11

Mikko Hirvonen closes on Sebastien Loeb with team-assisted Rally Australia win

Mikko Hirvonen claimed Ford's first World Rally Championship victory for nine rounds in Australia, after a rally that began with rain and chaos, and ended with a flurry of team orders.

Ford ended its drought in emphatic style, with Hirvonen's team-mate Jari-Matti Latvala coming home second. The team had not won since the season-opener in Sweden, but Hirvonen's consistency in the interim meant that the Australian result brought him straight back into title contention - placing him 15 points behind Sebastien Loeb with three rallies to go.

Friday had seen heavy rain and extraordinarily slippery conditions, and at first it was Citroen duo Loeb and Sebastien Ogier who battled for victory as both Ford men made minor errors and lost time.

But after Loeb rolled and Ogier slid into a tree, Hirvonen and Latvala found themselves back in first and second - and were able to charge away from third-placed Petter Solberg (Solberg Citroen).

With Latvala almost out of mathematical title contention but Hirvonen still in with a shout, Ford had no qualms about hinting that the elder of its Finns was going to be in front by the finish whatever happened in the interim.

So while Latvala moved into the lead on Saturday, when Hirvonen lost time running first on the road, a reversal of positions was always inevitable. Sure enough, on the penultimate stage of the rally Latvala slowed significantly and dropped into second place as Hirvonen reclaimed the lead and went on to clinch the win.

"I do like this place, it's been really kind to us, but we have this victory only because of the fantastic teamwork we have done," said Hirvonen, who has now won the last three Rally Australias.

"It's a fantastic result and it's so important for Ford. Of course big thanks to Jari-Matti for slowing down on the long stage and giving me the points for the championship. Now we're back in it."

Both Citroen drivers were able to rejoin under superally for Saturday. Initially Ogier seemed to have by far the better chance of salvaging something from the event, as his charge brought him within sight of eighth place, while 11th looked to be Loeb's limit.

However Citroen decided on the final day that with Hirvonen gaining so much championship ground, it had to throw all its efforts behind Loeb - despite Ogier having started the rally second in the standings, 25 points from his team-mate.

Ogier was therefore ordered to check in late before the penultimate stage to incur a penalty, and then to park on the stage for 10 minutes. That dropped him back to finish 11th, and ensured Loeb was able to grab 10th place. The world champion then added a further three points to his tally by winning the power stage, which saw Latvala and Solberg take the second and third bonus points.

"The team made a decision because we are now under pressure from Mikko after our mistake," said Loeb. "That is the situation."

Overshadowed by the Ford and Citroen adventures, Solberg was buoyed by the pace he showed on the way to third, feeling he was back in contention after two low-key rallies.

Attrition was high from the outset, and Matthew Wilson (Stobart Ford) and Khalid Al Qassimi (Abu Dhabi Ford) were the only other WRC drivers to get through the three days unscathed. That gave them fourth and fifth places - equalling Wilson's best-ever World Rally Championship result, and Al Qassimi's highest finish to date.

Wilson's team-mates Henning Solberg and Evgeny Novikov had eventful weekends. Novikov was challenging Petter Solberg on Friday before damaging his car and having to retire. He got back to 10th under superally only to have an enormous crash on Sunday morning. Solberg ran fourth until an electrical glitch, and then made it to the end in 14th under superally despite rolling on Sunday afternoon then sustaining a double puncture on the power stage.

The WRC carnage allowed several Production class runners to finish in the overall points, led by rising star Hayden Paddon (Symtech Subaru). The New Zealand driver claimed the Production title with class victory and a superb outright sixth place, having charged back past rival Michal Kosciuszko after a turbo gremlin on Saturday. Paddon has won on all four of his Production appearances this year.

Leading finishers after SS26:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Mikko Hirvonen Ford 3h35m59.0s
2. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford + 14.7s
3. Petter Solberg Solberg Citroen + 44.8s
4. Matthew Wilson Stobart Ford + 8m45.2s
5. Khalid Al Qassimi Abu Dhabi Ford + 12m33.3s
6. Hayden Paddon Symtech Subaru + 17m29.3s
7. Michal Kosciuszko Lotos Mitsubishi + 19m01.3s
8. Oleksandr Saliuk Mentos Mitsubishi + 21m08.5s
9. Benito Guerra GMA Mitsubishi + 22m48.9s
10. Sebastien Loeb Citroen + 30m02.9s

Other WRC finishers:

11. Sebastien Ogier Citroen + 30m19.4s
13. Peter van Merksteijn Van Merksteijn Citroen + 32m21.0s
14. Henning Solberg Stobart Ford + 32m23.7s
19. Ken Block Monster Ford + 42m01.9s

WRC retirements:

Evgeny Novikov Stobart Ford SS22
Daniel Oliveira Brazil Mini SS22

Leading power stage results:

Pos Driver Team/Car Time/Gap
1. Sebastien Loeb Citroen 2m18.1s
2. Jari-Matti Latvala Ford + 1.2s
3. Petter Solberg Solberg Citroen + 1.3s
4. Mikko Hirvonen Ford + 1.6s
5. Ken Block Monster Ford + 3.3s

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F1 - The Belgian Grand Prix - 28.08.11

Sebastian Vettel returns to the top by winning Belgian Grand Prix

World championship leader Sebastian Vettel claimed his first victory since Valencia in June as he triumphed in a hard-fought Belgian Grand Prix at Spa-Francorchamps.

Vettel led Mark Webber in a Red Bull one-two, while Jenson Button tore through from 13th on the grid to third for McLaren. His team-mate Lewis Hamilton's day ended in a clash with Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi. Fernando Alonso was a victory threat until falling to fourth in the final stint on harder tyres.

A chaotic start had seen Webber stutter off the grid and fall from third to eighth, as Nico Rosberg burst through to second and then slipstream past Vettel to take a shock lead for Mercedes by Les Combes, with Felipe Massa, Hamilton and the fast-starting Alonso next up.

Rosberg's lead lasted until lap three, when Vettel triggered his DRS and eased ahead on the Kemmel Straight. But the tyre issues that had been feared prior to the race started early for the Red Bulls, with Webber pitting after just three laps, and Vettel coming in from the lead next time around.

That put Rosberg back in front, though he had Alonso on his tail as the Spaniard had swiftly passed Hamilton, then outbraked team-mate Massa when the sister Ferrari lost momentum in a failed move on Rosberg. Hamilton also capitalised to further demote Massa as the shuffle unfolded.

By lap seven Alonso was sweeping past Rosberg on the Kemmel Straight to move into the lead, with Hamilton doing likewise on the following lap.

The Ferrari and McLaren managed to keep their initial tyres intact until laps eight and 11 respectively, but the Red Bulls' earlier stops had worked out better for them - and as Hamilton pitted from the lead, Vettel was sweeping around the outside of Rosberg in an epic pass into Blanchimont ready to move to the head of the field again. Shortly beforehand, Webber had produced a similarly spectacular move on Alonso into Eau Rouge as the Ferrari emerged from its pitstop, though Alonso would repass the Red Bull next time around.

Hamilton's challenge then ended on lap 13, when a brush of wheels with the yet-to-pit Kamui Kobayashi's Sauber on the run into Les Combes spat the McLaren violently into the barriers, prompting a safety car period.

Vettel immediately pitted for more tyres, which meant that although Alonso was able to lead again from the restart, the champion was soon easing ahead once more with a DRS pass.

From then onwards Vettel was effectively untouchable, inching away from Alonso through the next stint and clinching his first win in two months. When the Ferrari switched to the harder tyres for the final run to the flag, Alonso's pace tailed off dramatically and he found himself being passed by first Webber, then Button. The Hungarian GP winner had driven another epic race, getting the harder tyre out of the way early, then overtaking car after car in the middle of the race to move himself into podium contention. He secured his place on the rostrum by passing the troubled Alonso with two laps to go.

Michael Schumacher took a superb fifth place from the back of the grid - like Button using the harder tyre in the first stint then charging spectacularly. His Mercedes team-mate Rosberg drifted back to sixth as the race progressed, ahead of Adrian Sutil (Force India).

An additional stop to replace a deflating tyre left Massa eighth, gaining a place when Vitaly Petrov's Renault was delayed on the final lap, while Pastor Maldonado put Saturday's controversy behind him to score the final point for Williams - the first time that the 2010 GP2 champion had scored in Formula 1.

Bruno Senna's return to a race seat brought only a 13th place in the second Renault, as his outstanding qualifying result was wasted in a first-corner tangle with Jaime Alguersuari's Toro Rosso, which earned the Brazilian a drivethrough penalty (and almost took Alonso out too, the Ferrari lucky to continue as Alguersuari smashed his suspension against it). Virgin's Timo Glock was also given a drivethrough after being adjudged to have triggered further multi-car mayhem at the tail of the pack.

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

Classified:

Pos Driver Team Time
1. Vettel Red Bull-Renault 1h26.44.893
2. Webber Red Bull-Renault + 3.741
3. Button McLaren-Mercedes + 9.669
4. Alonso Ferrari + 13.022
5. Schumacher Mercedes + 47.464
6. Rosberg Mercedes + 48.674
7. Sutil Force India-Mercedes + 59.713
8. Massa Ferrari + 1m06.076
9. Petrov Renault + 1m11.917
10. Maldonado Williams-Cosworth + 1m17.615
11. Di Resta Force India-Mercedes + 1m23.994
12. Kobayashi Sauber-Ferrari + 1m31.976
13. Senna Renault + 1m32.985
14. Trulli Lotus-Renault + 1 lap
15. Kovalainen Lotus-Renault + 1 lap
16. Barrichello Williams-Cosworth + 1 lap
17. D'Ambrosio Virgin-Cosworth + 1 lap
18. Glock Virgin-Cosworth + 1 lap
19. Liuzzi HRT-Cosworth + 1 lap

Fastest lap: Massa, 1:23.415

Not classified/retirements:

Driver Team On lap
Perez Sauber-Ferrari 27
Ricciardo HRT-Cosworth 13
Hamilton McLaren-Mercedes 12
Buemi Toro Rosso-Ferrari 6
Alguersuari Toro Rosso-Ferrari 1



World Championship standings, round 11:

Drivers: Constructors:
1. Vettel 259 1. Red Bull-Renault 426
2. Webber 167 2. McLaren-Mercedes 295
3. Alonso 157 3. Ferrari 231
4. Button 149 4. Mercedes 88
5. Hamilton 146 5. Renault 68
6. Massa 74 6. Sauber-Ferrari 35
7. Rosberg 56 7. Force India-Mercedes 32
8. Schumacher 42 8. Toro Rosso-Ferrari 22
9. Petrov 34 9. Williams-Cosworth 5
10. Heidfeld 34
11. Kobayashi 27
12. Sutil 24
13. Buemi 12
14. Alguersuari 10
15. Di Resta 8
16. Perez 8
17. Barrichello 4
18. Maldonado 1

By Matt Beer
http://www.autosport.com