May 17, 2012
- At the Spanish Grand Prix last Sunday Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi equalled the best race result of his Formula One career. The Japanese driver came fifth at the Circuit de Catalunya, just as he did in Monaco last year. This year, armed with an improved car, he's hoping to go at least one better around the streets of the Principality. Kobayashi reviews his Barcelona performance and looks ahead to Monte Carlo
May 16, 2012
- GP3 racer Conor Daly will enjoy his first taste of Formula One power this week courtesy of Force India. Daly will carry out an aero test for the Silverstone-based team at the wheel of the VJM05 in the UK on Thursday at Cotswold Airport in Gloucestershire. The American, fresh from his win at GP3's opening round in Barcelona last weekend, visited the Force India factory on Tuesday for a seat fitting and to familiarize himself with the systems on the car. He also got the chance to meet the...
May 15, 2012
- Lotus have been one of the surprise packages of 2012 to date. With Kimi Raikkonen and Romain Grosjean at the wheel of the quick E20, the Enstone-based team have scored an impressive 84 points from five races and currently lie third in the constructors' standings. After the duo's impressive podium result in Bahrain and Raikkonen's third-place finish in Barcelona on Sunday, Lotus have clearly found their stride...
May 13, 2012
- When McLaren's Lewis Hamilton secured pole position on Saturday many believed he'd become the fifth winner of the season in Barcelona. But after being penalised by the stewards for having insufficient fuel on board his MP4-27 to comply with the regulations, Hamilton had to start the race from the back of the grid. The Briton, however, bounced back on Sunday with plucky aplomb and eventually finished in eighth. Hamilton discusses his Spanish round
- Mercedes' Michael Schumacher has been punished by the Spanish stewards for his collision with the Williams of Bruno Senna during the Barcelona race on Sunday. Schumacher receives a five-place grid penalty for the next round in Monaco. After investigating, the stewards decided the German driver was at fault for the accident, which occurred on Lap 12 at Turn One. Schumacher retired immediately after crashing into the back of the Williams and although Senna was able to continue for a few more...
- Williams' celebrations of Pastor Maldonado's Spanish Grand Prix victory have been cut dramatically short after a fire broke out in the team's garage shortly after the race, engulfing the Barcelona pit lane in thick smoke. Mechanics from various teams took immediate action to extinguish the flames
- Pastor Maldonado was the hero of Barcelona on Sunday afternoon. The Venezuelan's speed in his Williams FW34 came out of left field on Saturday, and in the race he became the fifth different winner this season and the seventh in seven races when he steered it to the British team's first victory since Brazil 2004. And Maldonado did it the hard way, fending off a hungry Fernando Alonso who burst through to the lead for Ferrari for the first 27 laps. At that stage it seemed a foregone conclusion,...
- Sir Frank Williams was pleasantly surprised in the paddock by a 70th birthday celebration for him on Saturday evening, just as it emerged that Pastor Maldonado had taken the team's latest pole position. Many friends stopped by, including Bernie Ecclestone who made a speech, Adrian Newey and Lewis Hamilton despite the Briton's impending penalty from the race stewards. On Thursday Ron Gourlay, chief executive of British football club Chelsea, brought the team's recently-won FA Cup to Sauber as...
May 12, 2012
- After a bizarre Q3 session in which even the likes of Sebastian Vettel and Michael Schumacher declined to set times in the name of tyre strategy, things got even stranger when Lewis Hamilton lost his pole position due to a rule infringement. Williams' Pastor Maldonado thus starts from P1 on the grid for the first time in his F1 career, but what was really going on in Barcelona on Saturday? We examine the form book, team by team
- Saturday in Barcelona was not Jenson Button's day. Oversteer, and then understeer, ruined his running in qualifying and the best Button could muster was 11th on the grid. Although team mate Lewis Hamilton's penalty promotes him up to tenth, the Briton is still wondering where the speed he enjoyed on Friday has gone