Mark Webber had the fastest of the 2012 cars in Jerez today - Photo Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images

Michael Schumacher was the fastest driver on Day Two of pre-season testing in Jerez, setting a best lap of 1:18.561. The seven-time world champion completed 132 laps in total for Mercedes.

Red Bull had the quickest of the new cars today, with Mark Webber finishing second fastest in the brand new RB8.

Daniel Ricciardo, who was in the Toro Rosso for his final day of the Jerez test, completed a century of laps and ended the day third on the timesheets.

Force India also completed a decent number of laps. With reserve driver Jules Bianchi behind the wheel this morning, and Paul di Resta taking over from the French rookie in the afternoon, the team notched up another 115 laps worth of mileage.

Kimi Raikkonen, who was the quickest man on track yesterday, was fifth for Lotus as he continued to adjust back to life in Formula 1.

Felipe Massa, whose best attempt at a lap was nearly two seconds off Schumacher’s best attempt, said that he was not concerned by the apparent lack of pace of the new F2012. Jenson Button can’t have been too impressed with the pace of the new McLaren either, finishing the day eighth on the timesheets, behind Massa.

Sergio Perez followed-on from industrious team-mate Kamui Kobayashi, completing 106 laps in the new Sauber in ninth, and Pastor Maldonado completed another 97 laps in the new Williams FW34 to round of today’s top ten.

Heikki Kovalainen completed more laps than any other driver today, managing to squeeze in 139 for Caterham. This was a particularly remarkable feat considering the teams were running with KERS for the first time – a system that can be unreliable at times.

Pedro de la Rosa‘s 2011-spec HRT propped up the timesheets for the second consecutive day.

Jerez Test Day Two: Unofficial times

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:18.561	132
2	Mark Webber	Red Bull	1:19.184	97
3	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	1:19.587	100
4	Jules Bianchi	Force India	1:20.221	46
5	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	1:20.239	117
6	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:20.272	69
7	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:20.454	95
8	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:20.688	85
9	Sergio Perez	Sauber	1:20.711	106
10	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:21.197	97
11	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	1:21.518	139
12	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	1:22.128	64

Jerez Test Day Two: Driver and Team Quotes

Mercedes

Michael Schumacher: “We made the most of a reliable car today to do lots of laps and learn a lot about the new Pirelli tyres, and how they perform on longer and shorter runs, and with different set-up configurations. It was a good and productive test, full of lots of useful information for the season ahead, and I am now looking forward to driving our 2012 car for the first time at the next test.”

Nico Rosberg will take over testing duties for Mercedes tomorrow, and the team will not be at the fourth and final day of the test on Friday. They will launch their 2012 car before the next test in Barcelona.

Red Bull

Mark Webber - Photo Credit: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Mark Webber: “It was pretty good today. I think we’re making good progress although, as I keep saying, it’s still very early days in the concept of the car and we have a lot to get through before we race it. But it’s the same for all the teams. We did well on the mileage today. I guess we could have done a bit more, but it was positive overall and the conditions were good to test in.”

Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering: “After yesterday’s brief delay we had a pretty full programme to get through today and I’m pleased to say we got through the majority of it. There were a couple of minor niggles, but nothing major, so we didn’t really lose any time. Mark did some work evaluating the available Pirelli tyre compounds.”

Sebastian Vettel will be in the Red Bull for the final two days of testing in Jerez.

Toro Rosso

Daniel Ricciardo - Photo Credit: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Daniel Ricciardo: “I am happy with what we did today: one hundred laps is around twice the distance we did yesterday. So we achieved our aim of getting plenty of miles for me and the car with a mix of short and long runs, trying three different tyre compounds. I also did some practice starts and pit entry tests, just about as much as one can do in one day. We have made progress and were even able to do some back to back runs to start finding out how the car reacts to set-up changes.” 

Ricciardo’s team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne takes over testing duties in Jerez tomorrow.

Force India

Jules Bianchi - Photo Credit: Sahara Force India Formula One Team

Jules Bianchi: “It was a really good morning and great to get my chance in the new car so early on. There was a lot to get used to, especially the steering wheel and remembering where all the switches are, but it didn’t take too long before I felt happy in the car. It may only have been half a day, but the team asked me to do quite a lot of things and we managed to complete almost 50 laps before lunch. For me this year is all about learning and helping the team as much as I can, so today was important for that and getting to know the team. It’s great that I am back in the car tomorrow and I will try and get closer to the limit, because it’s important preparation for my Friday practice running this year.”

Paul Di Resta: “Half a day, but quite intense: 69 laps in just over three hours, which is a really good effort. But it was also one of the more difficult days because the wind seemed to get very strong from midday onwards, which made driving the car very tricky. However, we managed to get a clear direction on a couple of set-up changes so that’s given us an indication of the areas we should explore over the coming weeks. After 101 laps yesterday and 115 today, we’ve clearly built a good, strong car, but now it’s about getting into the detail, going over the data and getting ready for Barcelona.”

Andrew Green, Technical Director: “This morning was our first chance to work with Jules, so we focussed on getting him comfortable and familiar with all the systems on the car. He acclimatised quickly and soon found his rhythm, which meant we could push ahead with the aero work we had planned for this morning. He did an excellent job, worked well with the engineers and has settled into the team.

“In the afternoon session, Paul evaluated some set-up options while running with different tyre compounds: soft, medium and hard. The windy track conditions made that quite challenging, but we made the best of it and managed to get an early indication of where we should focus our efforts to extract performance from the car.”

Lotus

Kimi Raikkonen - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

Kimi Räikkönen: “There was a small issue with damage to the floor this morning when I went off and came back on to the circuit. An edge on a kerb caused the damage and we lost some time as it was repaired. Apart from that it was a good day and we completed some long runs and good mileage. Physically, I felt fine after 117 laps. Conditions were quite windy on track but despite this I got a better feeling from the car. There was a lot of difference between the tyres. We used three compounds, but it was hard to get all of them working with the cooler temperatures today. When the tyres are working we seem to have a good car and I have a positive feeling from this first test. ”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “We had an interruption this morning with a slight off from Kimi which caused some damage to the car. This gave us an opportunity with the car in the garage to change the specification of steering rack, so we lost a reasonable amount of time in the morning. The E20 ran reliably for the rest of the day, meaning we were able to complete most of our planned programme. We looked at set-up, using the medium and soft tyres. We ran long runs in the afternoon, including a final run on the hard tyre, to gain mileage and everything worked very well. The balance is good which is encouraging from a performance perspective and the E20 was reliable again. All specifications of tyres are behaving as we would expect with the E20 so this is another area of encouragement.”

Ferrari

Felipe Massa - Photo Credit: Ferrari

Felipe Massa: “These two days have been different to usual, at least compared to what we’ve been used to at the start of previous years. This car is packed with elements that need plenty of fine tuning and they are different to what we had on previous cars. We concentrated on setting up a lot of specific points and there is still a lot to do: as usual, some things work the way they should, others less so. For example, I did a lot of laps at constant speed to gather information on the aerodynamics and on the general handling, because we need to be sure of the direction in which we need to go on the development front.

“We made some set-up changes from yesterday to today and the results this produced were what we had expected. It’s important that this happened, as it means the car is reacting in the right way. Obviously, there is still a lot to do, maybe more than we had expected before we started, but we are definitely not scared of hard work!

“I think the F2012 could well suit my driving style better than the previous car: for example, there is much less understeer. It’s only a case of working on it calmly and with concentration and that’s what we will continue to do over the next few days when Fernando drives. I think this car has great potential, also taking into account the point we are at now. Is this the ugliest Ferrari I’ve ever driven? I don’t know, as from the cockpit you can’t see the front wing and therefore not the step either: but definitely from the outside, it’s not the prettiest…”

Fernando Alonso will get his first chance to test the latest Ferrari tomorrow in Jerez.

McLaren

David Redding, Team Manager: “Despite the cold and windy conditions, Jenson was able to log further mileage with MP4-27 today. It’s still early days, and this was very much an exploratory day, but we were able to get a useful understanding of how the car behaves and reacts out on the track.

“It’s satisfying that Jenson’s been able to complete more than 600km of trouble-free running over the past two days; that puts us in a good position for the rest of the week.”

Lewis Hamilton takes over testing duties at McLaren tomorrow.

Sauber

Sergio Perez - Photo Credit: Sauber Motorsport AG

Sergio Pérez: “For me it was a positive day. It was great to be back on track after the winter break and so far I’m happy with the new car. I feel confident. It was a shame that we lost track time due to the fuel system problem in the afternoon, but I think we can catch up tomorrow. We have a huge programme for Thursday and I’m looking forward to it very much. Compared to yesterday we have already learnt a great deal more about the C31.”

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “It was Sergio’s first day of testing with the new car. To start with he had to familiarise himself with the C31 and he did a bit of set-up work in the morning. During the lunch break we implemented new aero parts on the car. They are working well and as expected which is important and good news. In the afternoon we unfortunately lost track time because of a problem with the fuel system. So far we have only used the medium tyre compound.”

Perez will be back in the car again tomorrow, and then hand it over to Kamui Kobayashi for Friday.

Williams

Pastor Maldonado - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

Pastor Maldonado: “We ran through our test programme and covered everything we needed to today. We did some long runs this afternoon and the car is looking good. We will now spend some time analysing all of the data we have gathered. It’s good to put more mileage on the FW34 and we now aim to continue that throughout the next two days.”

Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: “We successfully completed the majority of our planned test programme today with Pastor covering 97 laps. We performed a mixture of mechanical and aerodynamic set-up tests, in addition to continued engine and KERS systems checks. Bruno will have his first outing in the car tomorrow as we switch driver for the final two days of the test.”

Bruno Senna will have his first chance to drive the FW34 tomorrow, and the Brazilian will also be in the car on Friday, the final day of this Jerez test.

Caterham

Heikki Kovalainen - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

Heikki Kovalainen: “I feel very happy with the work we have completed today. Yesterday we had a problem that was nothing to do with the car so today was our first real day of testing and we had a trouble free day, completing most of what we wanted to on day one and day two and working through a variety of setup changes. We ran on each of the tyre compounds and I’m really starting to get a feel for the car. Basically it’s good news because it confirms what I thought yesterday. This car is a lot better than the 2011 car, it’s quicker and everything works as we want it to. We’ve made very solid progress and I feel really good physically, so I think there’s a lot more to come.”

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: “An excellent day of testing and I want to congratulate Heikki and the whole team for the job we have done today. We ran KERS for the first time and completed everything we had planned with that system, so thank you to Red Bull Technology and Renault Sport F1 for helping make that part of the program run so smoothly.

“Today we were concentrating on the setup program, using long runs to really start understanding what this car can do, so having completed 139 laps we have made a huge amount of progress, particularly compared to last year, and now we have to make sure we keep up this sort of momentum for the rest of the tests.”

HRT

Pedro de la Rosa - Photo Credit: HRT

Pedro de la Rosa: “Today we’ve progressed quite a bit as the day wore on; we’ve got more out of the car without having changed practically anything. Above all, today served me to get to know the tyres better. We all got to know each other a bit better and worked well together. I got rid of the rust yesterday and today I refreshed myself. On the first day the objective was not to go to the limit, but to get to know the people and for all of us to start working together. And the team did a good job. Today was more about seeing how far I could go, and that is why I think we improved on our times so much. Today I’m even more satisfied than yesterday, but on a personal note because I drove better. I’m leaving with a smile on my face and very much looking forward to Barcelona”.

Toni Cuquerella, Chief Race Engineer: “The two days of testing have served as good practice for the team, the majority of which is new, the equipment, which is also new, and also as a chance for Pedro to try out last year’s car and regain feelings at the steering wheel. We haven’t experienced major problems and completed the test programme with both the systems and the team working well. We’ve also extracted enough data from the new compound tyres with this car to be able to compare it with the data regarding 2011’s tyres and reach conclusions that will help us for the next tests. Therefore we can say that we’ve met our targets for these tests. When we arrive in Barcelona with the new car, everything else will be in place so we can fully concentrate on the car”.

Kimi Raikkonen in the new Lotus E20 was the fastest man in Jerez today - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

Kimi Raikkonen set the fastest lap in Jerez today as F1 teams ventured out on track to, in most cases, test the brand new cars that they have recently unveiled.

Of the twelve teams that make up the F1 grid, only Marussia were absent from the Circuito de Jerez today. Nine teams were running their new cars, with Mercedes and HRT choosing instead to run modified versions of their 2011 models.

It would be foolish to read too much into today’s times, but Raikkonen’s best lap of 1:19.670 was faster than any driver managed in the pre-season test at this circuit last season. The Finn went on to complete 73 laps in the new Lotus E20.

Paul di Resta completed 101 laps and finished the day second fastest, but the most mileage was completed by Sauber, with the new C31 completing 106 laps in the hands of Kamui Kobayashi.

Mercedes were the only team to give both their drivers and outing today. Nico Rosberg set the third fastest lap in the morning whilst Michael Schumacher, who came out after lunch when the track was generally slower, finished the day sixth on the timesheets.

Red Bull started late this morning after a part was delayed at the airport by fog, but Mark Webber eventually got out on track and finished the day fourth fastest, two tenths of a second ahead than Daniel Ricciardo in the new Toro Rosso, who was fifth. Ricciardo was forced to stop running an hour early, however, after a drop in oil pressure in the new STR7.

Neither Jenson Button in the McLaren, nor Felipe Massa in the Ferrari failed to trouble the top of the timesheets, finishing the day eighth and ninth. Heikki Kovalainen was tenth fastest in the Caterham ahead of Pastor Maldonado, whose Williams team launched the FW34 this morning. Pedro de la Rosa was bottom of the timesheets in the HRT.

Jerez Test Day One: Unofficial Times:

Pos	Driver	Team	Time	Laps
1	Kimi Raikkonen	Lotus	1:19.670	73
2	Paul di Resta	Force India	1:19.772	101
3	Nico Rosberg	Mercedes	1:20.219	56
4	Mark Webber	Red Bull	1:20.496	53
5	Daniel Ricciardo	Toro Rosso	1:20.694	57
6	Michael Schumacher	Mercedes	1:20.794	41
7	Kamui Kobayashi	Sauber	1:21.353	106
8	Jenson Button	McLaren	1:21.530	60
9	Felipe Massa	Ferrari	1:22.815	69
10	Heikki Kovalainen	Caterham	1:23.178	28
11	Pastor Maldonado	Williams	1:23.371	25
12	Pedro de la Rosa	HRT	1:23.676	44

Jerez Test Day One: Quotes

Lotus

Kimi Raikkonen - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

Kimi Raikkonen:  “It was a positive first day of testing and everything went almost to plan. We had no major issues and I got a good feel for the car and the tyres. The tyres were more of a challenge in the afternoon when we ran with a scrubbed set, but overall it was a positive day. The lap times don’t matter today. I’m happy with the balance of the car, which feels good, and the fact that we didn’t have any major issues. Also, I did more than a race distance today and did not have any physical problems at all, which is good. I’m looking forward to making further progress with the car tomorrow.”

James Allison, Technical Director: “It was a flawless morning with a slightly interrupted afternoon as we changed the second of the KERS batteries which we ran today. Overall it was a very promising day in terms of reliability and it gives us a good springboard for the rest of the test. So far Kimi’s feedback on the car has been complimentary in terms of the balance, the braking and other features. The steering is slightly heavy for his liking at the moment, but we already have a different steering rack being completed which he will use in Barcelona.”

Alan Permane, Trackside Operations Director: “We enjoyed a strong first day with the E20 in both performance and reliability and this is a testament to all the hard work done by everyone at Enstone over the winter. It’s always nice to be top of the timesheets, but the main encouraging factor from today is the car’s reliability; apart from a small KERS problem this afternoon it was fautless. We ran on the medium compound Pirelli tyre all day and it seemed to hold up pretty well, showing similar degradation to that we saw last year, so I think there’ll be exciting racing once more in 2012.”

Force India

Paul di Resta - Sahara Force India F1 Team

Paul Di Resta: “A good start to our winter test programme with 101 laps completed, which allowed us to get through all our objectives and a bit more. The baseline balance felt pretty good and the car performed consistently over the longer runs, which was useful for collecting the data we need. So I think we can be positive heading into tomorrow and the next three days will be interesting as we have more test items to evaluate. On a personal level it’s also nice to spend such a busy day in the car to shake off the rust and assess my fitness level.”

Andrew Green, Technical Director: “To complete over 100 laps on the first day of testing is the ideal way to begin our week in Jerez. We made good progress with the job list and managed to complete all the objectives set for the day. We ran on the new 2012-spec hard and medium Pirelli tyre compounds throughout, which will help give us some consistency when analysing the data tonight. As usual, Paul’s feedback was excellent and we’re starting to get a good idea of the set-up direction we should take for the coming days.”

Reserve driver Jules Bianchi will be in the Force India tomorrow morning, with di Resta taking over again in the afternoon.

Mercedes

Nico Rosberg: “We made a very good start to our testing programme today and completed 56 laps this morning. I was driving the 2011 car, so it felt comfortable straightaway. We tested some different things in perfect weather conditions and started learning about the 2012 Pirelli tyres and how they work. I was really happy to be out on track in my Mercedes and I know that, back at the factory, our development of the new car is running according to our plan.”

Michael Schumacher: “After a long break, it feels terrific being back in the car and hitting the circuit again. Our main job was to get a first impression of the tyres for 2012 and to start understanding them. They feel like a step forward, more consistent and comfortable to drive, and the biggest difference is with the rear tyre. Thanks to everybody at Pirelli for their good job this winter. Let’s see what we can learn tomorrow.”

Schumacher will be in the car all day tomorrow, with Rosberg returning on Thursday. The team will not be running on Friday, the fourth day of this Jerez test.

Red Bull

Mark Webber - Paul Gilham/Getty Images

Mark Webber: “It was good [today]. I felt quite comfortable in the car quite quickly. It’s very early days, but so far so good. We had a small delay this morning with a part due to fog at the airport. It’s never part of the plan to give up running time, but you can’t control mother nature. However, we made a good recovery, got 54 laps done this afternoon and we’ll aim for a better day tomorrow.”

Ian Morgan, Head of Race Engineering: “The delay meant we didn’t get running until midday, which is a little bit frustrating, but otherwise I think this has been the best car build we’ve ever had. Fortunately the delay wasn’t too severe, as it was very cold early this morning and for the first hour and a half I don’t think the track was in great condition anyway. So we probably only lost an hour or so of proper running. When Mark did get going, it was pretty smooth and we didn’t see anything unexpected. We have done a lot of simulation work and today pretty much confirmed what we are getting from that. It’s nice to repeat it on track and we’re happy with how things went.”

Webber will be back in the car tomorrow, and then world champion Sebastian Vettel will take over for the final two days of testing in Jerez.

Toro Rosso

Daniel Ricciardo - Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Daniel Ricciardo: “It was really nice to be back in the cockpit for the first time since the Brazilian Grand Prix in November and being the first person to drive the STR7 was a little bonus. It was great to experience taking a completely new car out of the garage. We had a very productive morning, doing over 40 laps and we made good progress with our programme. Then in the afternoon, we did a couple of longer runs, but had to cut it short, although we only lost an hour. I was using the Medium tyre on that last run, having used Hard tyres for the rest of the day. So, overall, a good start and I’m looking forward to another productive day tomorrow, because this car is very enjoyable to drive. It was a good feeling going fast again. It’s too early to give a true assessment of the car, but out of the box this morning, it seemed balanced and quite stable. It gave me a good feeling when I put the power down.”

Franz Tost, Team Principal: “We completed 57 laps today, so we are quite pleased with the first outing of the new car which seems to have a good base from which we can move forward. Daniel felt confident in the car and we ran trouble free until we lost some oil pressure, at which point the engine protector did its job and stopped the car. We are now investigating this loss of oil pressure, but we are confident we can have another good day tomorrow. As the failure happened at four o’clock, we only lost one hour’s track time which we expect to make up for tomorrow. The car looks nice but the important thing is that it should be fast. My first impression, having enjoyed the rare experience of going out onto the track to watch it in action through some corners this morning, is that the basis of the car is quite good and healthy.”

Sauber

Kamui Kobayashi - Photo Credit: Sauber Motorsport AG

Kamui Kobayashi: “I’m happy. The new car feels fine. We managed good mileage today despite a small problem in the morning session. Running today wasn’t about performance but focused on checking systems and reliability. Nevertheless I got the impression the new Pirelli tyres might be good for us. I am looking forward to the next tests and to further work on the car.”

Giampaolo Dall’Ara, Head of Track Engineering: “We had a productive first day of testing; the car proved to be reliable which is always a good start and enabled us to do some long runs. The systems’ checks were positive and the temperatures are alright as well. For evaluation we worked on tyres and set-up and were running different fuel loads. We also carried out some mechanical work and did intense pit stop practice with new procedures in place. At the end of the test programme we finally checked the fuel system.”

Sergio Perez takes over at Sauber for tomorrow and Thursday, with Kobayashi returning to the car on Friday.

McLaren

Jenson Button: “It’s been a good day: this morning, we ran through our installation and systems checks and the running was good. We’ve been gathering data on aerodynamics, downforce levels, temperatures and the feeling inside the cockpit.

“We did a 15-lap timed run this afternoon, which is a good starting point for us – and the consistency was okay. It’s been a positive day: there are no niggly areas with the car, which is nice. Overall, today was just a starting point, and was all about putting miles on the car. There are some promising signs, so I’m happy.

“It’s now important for us to get a clean day of running tomorrow, put some miles on the car and find a direction that we like. Today’s a very good basis for the next few days.”

Button will be back in the McLaren tomorrow.

Ferrari

Felipe Massa - Photo Credit: Ferrari

Nikolas Tombazis, Chief Designer: “Today we absolutely did not have an eye on the stopwatch, preferring to concentrate on gathering as much data as possible in order to get as good an understanding as possible of the behaviour of the car. We have much to do, but all in all, there are reasons to be pleased with the three hundred kilometres that we put together with Felipe at the wheel.

“We had to experiment with different solutions and that will be the case for the next few days as well: it’s obvious that some delivered what was expected while others did not, but that’s the purpose of testing, getting to understand how a car behaves and how best to develop it.”

Felipe Massa will be back in the car tomorrow.

Caterham

Heikki Kovalainen - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

Heikki Kovalainen: “It’s good to be back at work after the winter break and great to see how up for the season ahead the whole team are. We were first out on track this morning and the early feeling I had from the car was good. It’s far too early to tell how much we’ve progressed but it already feels like we’re going in the right direction. We obviously didn’t want to end early today but we couldn’t sort out the starter shaft issue in time to get back on track, but I’m reasonably pleased with what we have achieved today and I know the team will put in the work tonight to get us back out on track tomorrow and pick up where we left off today.”

Mike Gascoyne, Chief Technical Officer: “It is always a good feeling to see the new car out on track for the first time after all the hours everybody in the team has put in over the last few months to get us to this point. We had to bring day one to an early end after damage to the starter shaft meant we were unable to start the engine which is a shame because it was an unusual issue and we had enjoyed a positive morning, working through the usual day one system checks and running without any reliability issues on the car until that point. Heikki’s early feedback on the car is good and there is plenty to come from this car so we are looking forward to a positive next three days in Jerez.”

Williams

Bruno Senna (left) and Pastor Maldonado helped to launch the new Williams FW34 this morning before testing got underway - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/Williams F1

Pastor Maldonado: “It feels great to be back with the team and to start putting some mileage on the FW34. The car felt good and the systems were all working well this morning. I like the feel of the new Renault engine as well. It’s still too early to make any predictions, but we are pushing hard and working to understand the car better.”

Mark Gillan, Chief Operations Engineer: “We performed a number of systems checks on the car today, including testing our new engine installation and some aerodynamic correlation runs. Unfortunately testing was cut short with a couple of initial teething problems which we are currently investigating. We intend to get these fixed this evening in time for a full test programme with Pastor tomorrow.”

HRT

Pedro de la Rosa - Photo Credit: HRT

Pedro de la Rosa: “I really enjoyed myself today to be honest. I have to admit that I was a little bit nervous at the beginning of the day, because I barely knew anyone in the team or the car itself, but I’m very satisfied with how it went. Today the main thing was to do some mileage, not try things out, simply to get to know each other and I think the team did a great job. I felt very well surrounded, both by the mechanics and the engineers who worked with me. They all did a fantastic job. I want to insist on the work everyone did today because we were all new to the team. I think the sensations were positive for everyone”.

Luis Pérez-Sala, Team Principal: “We’ve gone through a couple of months of intense work and it was very important for everyone to be here and get things going on the track. I must say that I am very proud of the job done by everybody to achieve this. A large amount of the team and the materials are new so we needed to put these into practice. Everything went well, with no relevant problems, and we’ve taken another step, albeit a small one, in the right direction which is what matters right now”.

The Red Bull RB8 - Photo Credit: Red Bull Racing

Defending constructor’s champions Red Bull were just one of three teams to launch their 2012 car today in Jerez – the circuit at which pre-season testing gets underway tomorrow.

Sauber and Toro Rosso also unveiled their 2012 challengers on a busy day in southern Spain.

This follows on from Lotus, who launched their new car, the E20, yesterday.

Caterham, McLaren and Ferrari have also unveiled their new cars in the last fortnight.

Red Bull

The Adrian Newey-designed RB8 inevitably stole most of the headlines, although defending champion Sebastian Vettel expects that his Red Bull team will not be quite so dominant this season.

“I think it will be very, very tight this year,” said the German. “Looking at the cars, you know there’s not much room we have left to play (with) for designers and to find something extra. You know, the last two years we have had two big things taken away, the double diffusers, plus, for this year, the system around the blown exhaust. So we are missing that and therefore I think it’s difficult to really create a difference. We’ll see, obviously we hope our car is better than all the others but it will be difficult, and I think the cars will be fairly similar, as in the gaps will be even closer than they have been.”

The new Red Bull features the stepped nose that has also been present in some form on all of the 2012 car launch so far, apart from the new McLaren. Newey agrees with the many fans who thing these noses are somewhat ‘ugly’. but blames the new regulations for this styling.

“The restriction nose height which is a maximum height just in front of the front bulkhead hasn’t really changed the chassis shape very much,” he explained. “We’ve kept more or less the same chassis shape, but had to drop the nose just in front of the front bulkhead, which, in common with many other teams, has led us to I think I’d probably say a slightly ugly looking nose. We’ve tried to style it as best we can, but it’s not a feature you would choose to put in were it not for the regulation.”

The stepped nose of the Red Bull has a slightly different design to that of the other cars with the same feature - Photo Credit: Red Bull Racing

Sauber

Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi unveil the Sauber C31 at Jerez today - Photo Credit: Sauber Motorsport AG

The Sauber C31 was the first car to be launch today, and Team Principal Peter Sauber said that he has clear performance targets for this latest model. “We’re aiming to start the new season as strongly as we did in 2011, but then also to maintain this level of performance throughout the year,” he said. “Our goal is to finish regularly in the points so as to put ourselves in a significantly better position in the World Championship.”

Chief Designer Matt Morris said of the car: “The C31 is revolutionary where we had fresh ideas, particularly at the rear of the car, and it is an evolution where we knew we could carry over certain approaches. We had to improve on the weaknesses we identified on the C30, but at the same time we wanted to maintain its strengths.

“The current plan is to launch a fairly basic roll-out version of the car, which was defined quite some time ago,” he added. “We will then be testing development parts during the upcoming weeks with a late upgrade for the first race on 18th March in Australia. Therefore the car will look quite different in Melbourne compared to the roll-out car.”

Kobayashi drives the new car around Jerez today - Photo Credit: Sauber Motorsport AG

Toro Rosso

The new Toro Rosso STR7 - Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

The last of the cars to launch today was the STR7, the new offering from Red Bull sister team Toro Rosso. New drivers Jean-Eric Vergne and Daniel Ricciardo were on hand to remove the covers from the latest creation to emerge from Faenza.

“The car definitely looks sexy,” commented Ricciardo. “And it’s a bit emotional actually, seeing the first F1 car that will be mine to drive from the start of the season. With the new nose, it’s not exactly beautiful, but I’d rather have a quick car than a pretty one. Now I can’t wait to drive it tomorrow, when I don’t think I’ll need an alarm clock to wake up to start the day.”

“A new car unveiled by two new drivers,” exclaimed team principal Franz Tost. “The day before testing starts, we can claim to know more about the drivers than the car! It’s too early to make predictions for the coming season, although clearly our aim is to score more points and finish higher in the championship than in 2011. The team has continued to expand over the past year in terms of our facility in Faenza and also in the number of staff who work there, so we are in better shape than at any time in our seven year history.”

• The first of three pre-season tests gets underway in Jerez tomorrow. The Checkered Flag will provide reaction from teams and drivers after each day.

Giedo van der Garde - Photo Credit: Caterham F1

Caterham have today confirmed that 26-year-old Dutchman Giedo van der Garde will be the team’s official reserve driver for 2012.

The former GP2 driver will participate in the pre-season tests for the team and take part in a number of FP1 sessions throughout the season.

“I’m very happy to become a part of the Caterham F1 Team family today and I’m very excited about the next step in my career within Formula 1,” he said. “The team is fresh, with some fantastic people here. Tony Fernandes is extremely ambitious and he has brought in a lot of very good people in to help grow this team for future success. I’m looking forward to learning and moving forward with the team, in and out of the car.

“It’s great for Holland that we again have a Dutch driver who is connected to Formula 1. Being the only Dutch driver now is very good for the sport in Holland, as the interest was perhaps on the decline since the Verstappen years, however I hope to generate the same excitement for my country and really bring Formula 1 to them.

“I feel that the team as a whole is very ambitious. They appear to be very positive people and I think they are building up, growing and developing very quickly. I think this year they will be strong contenders! We’ll see after the test but I really have a feeling that it’s a big family here and they are pushing very hard to move up the grid.

“I feel very strong now, I’m fit, and I’m mentally ready. Of course I’ve spent a lot of time driving with guys who are now in Formula 1 and I feel I’m ready for this. I’d like to thank McGregor and everybody who has supported me in my career and for helping me take this next exciting step.”

Caterham team principal Tony Fernandes explained why the Dutchman had been selected to support race drivers Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli. “We are delighted to welcome Giedo into the family as Reserve Driver,” said Fernandes. “He is a very exciting prospect that we have been monitoring since the early days of our team, and we are all looking forward to seeing how he can help us develop throughout the season as we take our next steps towards the established midfield teams ahead.

“His performances in GP2, particularly in 2011, mark Giedo out as one of motorsport’s brightest prospects, and securing him as Reserve Driver is a real coup for our team. I am sure he will flourish on and off track, and we wish him all the best as he takes the next step into Formula 1 with us.”

The new Ferrari F2012 in the snow of Maranello - Photo Credit: Ferrari

Over five million fans from across the globe headed to the Ferrari website this morning to see the team unveil the F2012 – the car that Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa will drive in the coming Formula 1 season.

Snow had forced the team to cancel their big launch at Maranello, leading to today’s online unveiling.

The car will now head straight to Valencia for the first pre-season test, which will be held next week.

Ferrari also announced today that they would continue their collaboration with Spanish bank Santander until the end of the 2017 season.

Felipe Massa (left) and Fernando Alonso helped to unveil the new car today - Photo Credit: Ferrari

Seven drivers who started the final race of 2011 will not be on the grid in Australia next month - Photo Credit: Paul Gilham/Getty Images

With the announcement today that Narain Karthikeyan will complete the driver line-up at HRT this season, all of the drivers are in place for 2012. Not only is the grid now full, but it means that this piece - which was first published on New Years’ Day – is also now complete.

Here, we look at the driver line-ups of each team, predict who has made the best choices, and speculate on what each driver must do for the coming season to be considered a success.

Vettel and Webber - Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

Red Bull Racing – Renault

Car #1: Sebastian Vettel
2: Mark Webber

Vettel completely out-performed Webber (and the rest of the field) in 2011, and it came as a bit of a surprise last August when Red Bull announced that the Australian would stay with the team for another year. Indeed, many though it could be time for either Sebastien Buemi or Jaime Alguersuari to step-up from Toro Rosso. However, Buemi and Alguersuari are currently without a seat, and Webber has another opportunity in what could well be, for the third (or arguably fourth) season in a row, the fastest car on the grid.

Thanks to regulation changes, the team will have to contend without the blown-diffuser that served them so well in 2011, but it is very likely that Adrian Newey will once again work his magic, and Vettel will be in contention for a third consecutive title.

Button and Hamilton - Photo Credit: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

McLaren Mercedes

3: Jenson Button
4: Lewis Hamilton

McLaren now have Button tied to a new three-year contract and, with the 2009 champion in the form of his career, 2012 should be another good year for him.

Despite a difficult 2011, Hamilton was showing signs of returning to form after some good races towards the end of last season, including his well-deserved victory at the penultimate race in Abu Dhabi. He should easily be a match for Button in 2012.

Many would argue that the Woking-based team have the best driver pairing on the grid. Now all they need is a car that can compete consistently with Red Bull…

Alonso and Massa - Photo Credit: Ferrari

Ferrari

5: Fernando Alonso
6: Felipe Massa

The Italian team were rightly castigated by president Luca di Montezemolo after a dismal season in 2011 that saw them collect only one victory. Nevertheless, Alonso drove the wheels off his car, and managed to get a well-deserved ten podiums for his team. This season, the Spaniard will be anxious hoping for a car that will let him challenge for his third title.

Massa did not manage to finish higher than fifth at any race last season. He is very much drinking in the last chance saloon at Maranello – if he fails to impress in 2012, the final year of his current contract, he will be looking elsewhere for a drive.

Schumacher and Rosberg - Photo Credit: Mercedes AMG GP

 Mercedes

7: Michael Schumacher
8: Nico Rosberg

Like the three teams in front of them, Mercedes enter 2012 with the same driver line-up. Rosberg is still looking for that elusive first win, Schumacher is still looking for victory number 92. The car was not good enough to challenge for victories (or even podiums) in 2011, but with an improved technical department the Brackley-based team will be deeply disappointed if they are not on a par with the likes of Red Bull, McLaren and Ferrari this season.

Rosberg has already signed an extension to his contract, and will be with Mercedes at least until the end of 2013. Schumacher’s expires at the end of this season – will he want to stay on for a fourth season too?

Raikkonen and Grosjean - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

 Lotus-Renault

9: Kimi Räikkönen
10: Romain Grosjean

It is a new name and a new driver line-up for the team formerly known as Renault this year. The 2007 champion Kimi Räikkönen makes his return to the sport after two seasons away, and it will be fascinating to see how the Finn performs.

Grosjean is also making his return; the Frenchman’s last race was the 2009 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, just like his new team-mate. Grosjean has only seven F1 starts behind him, and a best finish of only thirteenth. However, he returns as GP2 champion, was nominated as Driver Of The Year 2011 by one TCF’s authors last week, and undoubtedly deserves a second chance at the pinnacle of motorsport.

Bruno Senna, after being dropped from the team, winds up at Williams for 2012, whilst Vitaly Petrov is still left to hunt around for a drive. However, with the inaugural Russian Grand Prix planned for 2014, and the fact that Petrov can probably bring sponsorship with him to a team, means that he may not be out of F1 for long.

Di Resta and Hulkenberg - Photo Credit: Sahara Force India F1 Team

 Force India-Mercedes

11: Paul di Resta
12: Nico Hulkenberg

It was the worst-kept secret of the last few months, but in mid-December Force India finally announced that Nico Hulkenberg would step up from his reserve driver role to race alongside Paul di Resta in 2012. The team have fresh investment from the Sahara group, and will be hoping to continue their push up the constructors’ championship table, with fifth place likely to be their target for this season.

Di Resta impressed as ‘Rookie of the Year’ in 2011, and Hulkenberg has already shown that he is fast during his year with Williams in 2010. This is a strong pairing of two promising young-drivers, and Force India have probably made the correct choice from the three drivers available. Adrian Sutil, who had been with the team for five seasons (including one when the team was Spyker), missed out on a seat at Williams, and was convicted of grievous bodily harm on Tuesday.

Kobayashi and Perez - Photo Credit: Sauber Motorsport AG

Sauber-Ferrari

14: Kamui Kobayashi
15: Sergio Perez

Sauber started 2011 well, had a bit of lull in the middle, and then picked up a few more points towards the end of the season. They apparently have the budget to do better this season, and have two exciting young drivers who can get results. It is difficult to imagine them battling with the likes of Mercedes next season but they should, hopefully, be able to give the likes of Lotus, Force India and others a run for their money in 2012.

Kobayashi will be pushed hard by Perez next season, who could well be using this season to advertise his skills to Ferrari in case Massa is shown the door for 2013.

Ricciardo and Vergne - Photo Credit: HRT; Andrew Hone/Getty Images for Red Bull

Toro Rosso-Ferrari

16: Daniel Ricciardo
17: Jean-Eric Vergne

The Red Bull sister team surprised many people by getting rid of both Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari, despite the strong season they had in 2011. Both Ricciardo and Vergne are held in high regard by those who have watched them closely in recent years. With a seat at Red Bull likely to be available in 2013, it will be a fascinating to see who comes out on top in the intra-team battle for supremacy.

Ricciardo may have the added advantage of eleven F1 starts under his belt, but Vergne is no stranger to an F1 car. The French rookie was fastest on all three days of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi in November, and no doubt fancies himself as Vettel’s team-mate in 2013 just as much as Ricciardo.

Maldonado and Senna - Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic

Williams-Renault

18: Pastor Maldonado
19:  Bruno Senna

Williams had a disastrous year in 2011 and, despite the fact that they will be using Renault engines next season, and that they have completely re-jigged their technical department, it is hard to see how they can turn around their dismal form quickly. Pastor Maldonado remains at the team for 2012, although cynics would suggest that was more for the sponsorship money his brings in rather than his driving talent. Nevertheless, he is a former GP2 champion, and may well come good this year.

It was thought that Rubens Barrichello may remain at the team for 2012 to compete in his 20th F1 season, but it was fellow-Brazilian Bruno Senna who got the nod instead. Senna may not have got have impressed everybody with his eight races at Renault last season, but now has a chance to show exactly what he can do in his first full season in a car that is (slightly) faster than an HRT. His aim will be to comprehensively beat Maldonado, and catch the eye of one of the top teams.

Kovalainen and Trulli - Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic

Caterham-Renault

20: Heikki Kovalainen
21: Jarno Trulli

Caterham, the team formerly known as Team Lotus, begin their third season in Formula 1 predicting that this will be the year that they start to challenge points and compete with the mid-field teams. Kovalainen out-qualified Trulli 16-2 in 2011, and has been a great servant to this new team. Trulli spent most of last year moaning about power-steering, and is surely coming to the end of a career that, some would argue, has already gone on for two seasons too long.

In fact, there are rumours around that, despite the Italian being confirmed on the official entry list for 2012, he may be replaced before the start of the season Vitaly Petrov. Trulli says that this speculation is rubbish, and he has a firm contract to race this season. However, in F1, there is very rarely smoke without fire. Watch this space.

De la Rosa and Karthikeyan - Photo Credit: HRT

HRT-Cosworth

22: Pedro de la Rosa
23:  Narain Karthikeyan

HRT, under the auspices of new Spanish owners, have replaced Colin Kolles with Luis Pérez-Sala, a new Spanish team principal, and relocated the headquarters to Spain. They have also recruited Spanish veteran Pedro de la Rosa, who will be the grand old age of 41 when the 2012 season gets underway.

To complete the oldest driver pairing on the grid, HRT finally announced in February that 35-year-old Narain Karthikeyan would complete their driver line-up. The Indian driver also started the 2011 season with the team, and lasted eight races before being replaced by Daniel Ricciardo at the behest of Red Bull, returning only for the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. How long will he last in the seat this season?

Glock and Pic - Photo Credit: Marussia

Marussia-Cosworth

24: Timo Glock
25: Charles Pic

The Virgin Racing name disappears from the grid in 2012, with that team renamed Marussia. Jerome d’Ambrosio has been let go after one season, and will be replaced with French rookie Charles Pic. Timo Glock, who signed a new deal with the team in 2011, remains as lead driver.

Marussia had a year of upheaval last season, but think that they should be on track to deliver a better car in 2012. It may seem unlikely that they will be able to compete with the midfield teams or even Caterham from the off this year, but they should finally finish a season ahead of HRT.

• There will be full coverage of the 2012 Formula 1 season throughout the year here on thecheckeredflag.co.uk

James Key - Photo Credit: Sauber Motorsport AG

James Key, the Sauber technical director, has today left the Hinwil-based team just days before they launch their 2012 car.

Key, who joined the team from Force India, has been offered a new job in the UK.

The team will now reorganise its technical department – the design and development of the car will be led by the department heads for Aerodynamics, Design, Performance and Operations.

Peter Sauber, the eponymous team principal, explained how things will work after the departure of key. “A qualified team shares the overall technical responsibility,” he said. “This structure has proved to work well at other racing outfits.

“Over a period of almost two years, James has accomplished a lot for our team. Especially in the difficult transition period from a manufacturer team into a private enterprise, he contributed significantly to ensure the team regained stability. We would like to thank him for his efforts and wish him all the best for his future.”

“I’ve enjoyed the past two years working at the Sauber F1 Team,” added Key. “It has been a very intense and interesting time, in which we had to manage the transition from a much larger team to a smaller one, and everybody handled that very well. I think the team is now well set for the future and I wish it the very best. I have been offered a new role back in the UK, which I decided to accept.”

Bianchi watched on as Nico Hulkenberg and Paul di Resta (right) pull the covers off the new VJM05 - Photo Credit: Sahara Force India F1 Team

Force India today launched the VJM05, the car that they hope will secure the team fifth in the constructors’ championship this season.

Race drivers Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg were joined at Silverstone by new reserve driver Jules Bianchi.

“We have set our sights on challenging for fifth place,” said Team Principal Vijay Mallya. “To do so we will need to begin the new campaign by delivering the kind of form we showed in the second half of 2011. I believe this is a realistic goal and that we have the talent and determination to realise these ambitions.”

Like the Caterham (but not the McLaren) the new Force India has a strangely shaped nose - Photo Credit: Sahara Force India F1 Team

The VJM05 is the second car to be created under technical director Andrew Green, who described this latest model. “The car looks more refined; a lot racier and a lot more purposeful,” he said. “You can start to see the aerodynamic concepts coming through now. It looks quite a bit different to the previous years, and so far the performance in the tunnel has been encouraging.”

Di Resta is optimistic that the new car will allow him to build on an impressive debut season in 2011. “Seeing the new car built and complete for the first time is always an exciting moment,” said the Scot. “It’s when you realise that all the waiting is finally over and the season is beginning for real. I’ve had a good winter and I’ve recharged my batteries, but now I’m fully focussed on 2012 and looking forward to the start of testing. There’s a really positive feeling in the team, good stability and hopefully we can pick up where we left off at the end of last year.”

Hulkenberg is also beginning his second proper season in the sport, and is looking forward to taking the new car for a spin next week. “I saw the new car in the wind tunnel a few times and followed its progress during the winter,” he said. “It looks aggressive and fast, but we won’t know where we stand until we get out there and compete against the others. Preparations for the new season have been full-on with simulator sessions and lots of fitness training. I feel ready to get back to racing and I’m excited to find out what the new car feels like next week.”

The VJM05 - Photo Credit: Sahara Force India F1 Team

Narain Karthikeyan - Photo Credit: HRT

Narain Karthikeyan will race for the HRT F1 Team again this season, filling the final space on the 2012 Formula 1 grid.

The Indian returned to an F1 race seat at the start of 2011 with the Spanish team, after five years away. He was replaced at Silverstone by Daniel Ricciardo, but did return to the cockpit for a one-off at his home grand prix. There he impressed with his pace in the HRT on his way to finishing in 17^th place.

35-year-old Karthikeyan joins 40-year-old Spaniard Pedro de la Rosa at HRT, forming what is easily the oldest driver partnership on the grid.

“It has taken a lot of hard work to make this happen but I am absolutely elated to feature on the 2012 grid with HRT F1 Team,” said Karthikeyan. “I was pleased with our strong performance at the Indian Grand Prix, in front of my passionate home fans and I look forward to building on this result in 2012.

“I have been training hard since the end of 2011, ensuring I was ready for the rigours of F1 if an opportunity arose. I am delighted to have signed with HRT F1 Team. With the new management, Pedro, and the team, there is definite potential for progress.

“We need to understand that F1 is new to India, we hosted our first race only last year which was a resounding success. To build on that momentum, an Indian driver will certainly keep the interest engaged throughout the season. I am proud to secure an opportunity to forge a stronger connection between India and Formula 1 once again.”

De la Rosa will be in action for the team at the first pre-season test at Jerez next week, with Karthikeyan joining up at the second test at Barcelona.

New HRT team principal Luis Perez-Sala said that Karthikeyan’s signing will help give stability to the team has it goes through changes behind the scenes.

“I am pleased to count with Narain for this season, as he will contribute continuity and stability,” said Perez-Sala. “He is a quick, intuitive and secure driver who met his expectations despite a lack of continuity last year.

“Of the eight Grands Prix he contested in 2011, he only failed to finish on one occasion and had a great performance in the last race he took part in. I’m sure that the fact that he will continue to work and drive on a regular basis will help him take a step forward this season. And if he advances, so does the team. This is a year in which you could say that the team starts from scratch and everyone’s input will be fundamental.”

Lewis Hamilton (left) and Jenson Button pose next to the new MP4-27 - Photo Credit: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

McLaren have today become the first of the top teams to unveil the car that they hope will challenge for the 2012 drivers’ and constructors’ titles.

The MP4-27 was launched at the McLaren Technology Centre in Woking this morning by drivers Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton. According to the team, this new car is ‘a natural evolution’ of last season’s car, which won six races.

The most evident visual differences from last year’s model are earmarked by the team as ‘more tightly waisted rear bodywork, developed to improve flow to the rear of the car, and a revised cooling system, which re-directs the gearbox oil-cooler’. The U-shaped sidepods that graced the MP4-26 have also been redesigned.

Speaking at the event, both drivers are confident that this car can compete at the front of the grid.

“With the regulations remaining relatively stable, we’ve really been able to focus on the detail with this year’s car,” explained Button. “I still think we had a very fast package last year – it was very strong in certain areas – and our race pace was almost always fantastic, but we’re hoping for a further step forwards in 2012. With Mercedes-Benz, I think we also had the best overall engine and KERS Hybrid package in the pitlane.

“We were also able to continuously develop throughout the year to match Red Bull – and that shows that we have the knowledge, effort and resources to sustain our efforts across the course of a whole season, which can be crucial.

“I know that the whole team is extremely proud of the MP4-27. It may look like a direct evolution of last year’s car, but we’ve analysed every area of performance over the winter and the whole car has benefited from lots of fresh thinking and new ideas in every area. I’m really looking forward to getting behind the wheel in Spain next week.

“I know that everyone will be watching us very closely to see what progress we make during the pre-season tests, but I genuinely believe we have every reason to feel optimistic about the progress we’ve made and our competitiveness this year.”

The nose of the new McLaren looks different to that of the new Caterham launched last week - Photo Credit: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

Hamilton said that he had an excellent break in recent weeks, and shares his team-mate’s optimism about the MP4-27.

“The winter has been a great opportunity to recharge – I got away into the mountains, spent a lot of time hiking and running, improving my fitness and starting to prepare for the new year,” said the 27-year-old.

“It’s always great to get away from everything; change the scenery. And what’s great about Formula 1 is that you start each season with the baseline completely reset – everybody starts again from zero – and that always makes me so hungry.

“I’ve been keenly following the development of MP4-27 over the winter and I’ve been really encouraged by the results and the data that the engineers have been showing me. I think we already had a very strong base to build upon: Jenson and I won six races with MP4-26 last year and I think we’ve been able to retain all the strengths and the reliability of that design while also incorporating lots of improvements and new ideas into the new car.

“Of course, the biggest changes for 2012 are the modifications to the exhaust regulations – that will reduce the downforce and grip that we had last year, but it just puts the emphasis on the designers to try and claw some of that back in other areas.

“I get the feeling the MP4-27 is going to feel very new and exciting when we get to drive it for the first time.”

McLaren team principal Martin Whitmarsh sent out a warning to rivals that this new car will be tough to beat, especially in the hands of his two drivers.

“The 2012 season will be an important one for Vodafone McLaren Mercedes: having finished second in the constructors’ championship for the past two seasons, we’re determined to mount a sustained, hard challenge for both world titles,” he said.

“Our engineering team continues to develop and grow: while the key names who head the department are well known – Tim Goss, Paddy Lowe and Neil Oatley – it’s the strength in depth within the department that continually impresses. I’m extremely proud of our efforts to invest in and recruit young graduate engineers and to develop and school them in the ways of Formula 1.

“We have a fantastically committed team of individuals, and MP4-27 is the fruit of their labours – it’s a beautiful car, and one we feel is the perfect platform from which to launch our assault on the world championship. While there are clear visual changes to this year’s car, there’s greater change beneath the skin, with lots of fresh thinking applied to every major system. The car is pleasingly complete.

“I don’t think we want for anything from our drivers, either: in Jenson and Lewis, I believe we have the very best line-up in Formula 1 – the perfect blend of experience, speed and aggression. They complement each other perfectly.

“For 2012, we are well aware that Red Bull remains a very powerful and capable operation, and that both Ferrari and Mercedes AMG are ramping up their operational capacity. We have no room to be complacent – what you see today only scratches the surface of what we’re planning to deliver to the track both from an engineering and operational point of view throughout 2012.

“I’m pleased and confident that we’ve left no stone unturned in our quest for performance. Now, our focus invariably turns to the track as we evaluate MP4-27 ahead of the start of the 2012 season in Melbourne on March 18. These will be a fascinating three weeks.”

Button (left) and Hamilton took the covers off the new McLaren - Photo Credit: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

Adrian Sutil - Photo Credit: Sahara Force India F1 Team

Former Force India driver Adrian Sutil has today been convicted of causing grievous bodily harm after an incident in a Shanghai night club last April.

A court in Munich that handed out the sentence also ordered the 29-year-old German to pay a 200,000 euro fine.

The victim was Renault F1 executive Eric Lux, who suffered cuts during the fracas. He and Sutil were among guests at a party to celebrate Lewis Hamilton‘s Chinese Grand Prix victory that weekend.

Sutil is currently without a Formula 1 drive this season after being replaced at Force India over the winter by Nico Hulkenberg.

Jules Bianchi - Photo Credit: Sahara Force India F1 Team

Force India have announced that Jules Bianchi will join the team as reserve driver for the 2012 Formula 1 season.

The 22-year-old Frenchman, who is part of the Ferrari young driver programme, will participate in a minimum of nine Friday practice sessions this season, and will help to test the new VJM05 during pre-season testing next month.

“I’m obviously excited to join Sahara Force India and the chance to get track time during race weekends is an important step for me,” said Bianchi. “Being regularly in a current car is the best way to learn quickly and I hope it will put me in a strong position to one day move into a race seat. The next few months will be really exciting as I get to know the team, see how they work, and prepare for my time in the car. I would like to thank everyone for believing in me and especially Sahara Force India for giving me this great opportunity.”

Team principal Dr. Vijay Mallya welcomed Bianchi to the team. “I am delighted to welcome Jules into the Sahara Force India family,” he said. “We always keep an eye on young, talented drivers and his performance in GP2 certainly impressed us all. By giving Jules the opportunity to be part of our 2012 campaign, we continue to demonstrate our commitment to young drivers. We are proud of our track record in this regard and I have no doubt that Jules will quickly settle into the team and make a valuable contribution to our efforts on track this season.”

Raikkonen tested a Pirelli-shod Renault R30 in Valencia earlier this week - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/Lotus F1 Team

In just over seven weeks, Formula 1 cars will line-up on the grid in Melbourne, Australia, for the first of 20 grand prix this season. Of the 24 drivers in those cars, one quarter of them will be world champions.

Last season we had five but in 2012, thanks to the return of 2007 champion Kimi Raikkonen, there will now be six title winners on the grid.

The Finn returns to the sport after two years away, with the landscape of Formula 1 somewhat different to what it was in 2009. How will the iceman do?

When Raikkonen stepped out of the car in Abu Dhabi that year, having driven his Ferrari to a disappointing twelfth place, Bridgestone was the tyre supplier, not Pirelli, and no-one even knew what an F-duct was, let alone DRS.

Furthermore, there were no teams with Lotus their name, Richard Branson’s company was sponsoring the team winning the championship rather than owning an outfit struggling at the back of the grid, and HRT was just something to do with hormones.

But now, Raikkonen joins a team called Lotus – the one that used to be Renault, not the one now called Caterham (just to be clear). They finished last season as the fifth best team on the grid, some distance off Mercedes, who were comfortably fourth.

With that in mind, Raikkonen is clearly not going to be expected to be winning championships this year, or even races. But what pressures and expectations will he face and, most importantly perhaps, will he actually care?

Ferrari only came fourth in Raikkonen’s last season in the sport, and so perhaps he is returning to a team at a similar standard to the one he left? However, the 32-year-old spent eight of his nine previous seasons in Formula 1 at either McLaren or Ferrari – normally two of the top teams – so joining a mid-field team that looks in need of a talismanic driver to haul them back to the front of the grid will be a new, and possibly unwanted, challenge for him.

However, even if Lotus show the same kind of form they demonstrated at the end of last season, Raikkonen will still be expected to score points on a regular basis. More than this though, he will need to beat Romain Grosjean, his new team-mate.

This may sound like an easy task for a veteran of 156 F1 starts and 18 wins, up against a relative rookie with just seven races and no points to his name. However, Grosjean is no slouch, having stormed his way unchallenged to last season’s GP2 championship. His last race Formula 1 race, like Raikkonen’s, was the final grand prix of 2009, so in this sense the pair are evenly matched.

Michael Schumacher gave a fine example of how difficult it is to return to Formula 1 after a break in 2010. Although he looked much stronger at the end of last season, Schumacher was comprehensively out-performed by Nico Rosberg in his first year back. Likewise, Raikkonen will not find Grosjean an easy team-mate to beat.

If he can pull it off, however, then Raikkonen’s first season will be considered a success. If he beats the likes of Mercedes, or even the top teams, then Lotus will have been completely vindicated in their decision to bring the Finn back to the sport.

Some questioned Raikkonen’s motivation in his final two seasons at Ferrari, especially when he was being beaten by Felipe Massa race after race. However, speaking to Sky Sports News after testing a 2010 Renault earlier this week, he conveyed eagerness at being back racing at the pinnacle of motorsport, despite seeming a little surprised to be back in F1.

“I had no plans for the future, I have no plans now for the future,” he said. “There was different choices for this year but I really wanted to do racing – I did some Nascar last year and I really enjoyed competing against people again. It was then that I decided to do some racing again and F1 is the highest level of racing and where people want to be.”

He sensibly warned that it would take time for him to become fully acclimatised with the nuances of the sport once again, something that both his fans and critics will have to bear in mind for the season ahead.

“Of course it takes a little bit of time to get used to it, but the main bits of driving – braking, turning, the normal things – don’t take many lap,” he added. “But learning about the car, the team and the tyres will take time.”

Raikkonen out on track in Valencia on Tuesday - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/Lotus F1 Team

The 2012 Caterham F1

The 2012 Caterham F1 car has broken cover a day earlier than expected following an online leak from an eager social media user who received their copy of F1 Racing a day early.

The new Caterham’s CT01 becomes the first car since the official renaming of the team which previously ran under the Lotus banner.

Despite the release of this image and another from the magazine the team is expected to wait until tomorrow to reveal any more information and images.

Bruno Senna - Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic

After being announced earlier today as a Williams driver, Bruno Senna has been looking forward to the coming Formula 1 season and discussing how he will fit in at the team that was once home to his legendary uncle.

However, the Brazilian heads to a team that scored just five points in 2011, and endured their most torrid season in the sport. Senna, though, is optimistic that Williams‘ fortunes are on the rise.

“I’m really happy to be a part of a team with such a fantastic heritage,” he said. “I am very proud that Williams has chosen me to race in what will be an important year for them. Everyone is extremely motivated for 2012 and it is great to be part of that motivation.

“It is true that they didn’t have the best season last year, but it is clear that the team is on a new path and everyone is pulling together to ensure that this year is a better one. I really hope that I can demonstrate what I can do, not only for the team, but for myself. It’s going to be interesting to see what we can achieve together.”

“It’s difficult to set objectives before the season starts, but I intend to push the car 100% to the limit to get the maximum performance we can from it,” he added.

Senna competed in eight races last season with Renault and, conincidentally, 2012 will mark the renewal a famous F1 partnership: the Williams chassis with and the Renault engine. The 28-year-old thinks it will be a valuable tool for the team:

“After a few races with the Renault engine in 2011, I’ve learnt a great deal about it,” he said. “It is a very good unit with good drivability, which is another positive step forward for the team. As a driver, you need to have every weapon available to you operating at its optimum in order to put in competitive times throughout the race.  I’m sure we can develop the car even further with the Renault engine and it will be interesting for me to be able to give the team feedback applying my previous experiences.”

Another thing Senna will be relatively familiar with is new team-mate Pastor Maldonado. The two both competed in GP2 but, whilst Senna could only finish runner-up in 2008, Maldonado went one better in 2010, taking the title. Senna is full of praise for the Venezuelan, and forsees a tough intra-team battle with him this season.

“Pastor is a great driver,” he said. “I’ve raced against him in GP2 and we always get along well. He’s been a very tough opponent in the past and he is going to be even tougher now we are both in the same car. We’ll certainly be trying to beat each other, but as teammates we’re going to work together to move the team forward.”

Although Williams have made us wait until mid-January for announcing who would fill their vacant race seat, it turns out that Senna has actually already made several trips to their factory in Oxfordshire. “I’ve been at the Williams factory in Grove both before and after Christmas being really put through my paces in the simulator, on the track and in the gym,” he revealed. “We’ve also done some evaluation work on the track (but not in an F1 car).

The main purpose was for the team to evaluate me and to understand how to get the best out of me as a driver. But it’s also been really useful for me as it familiarises me with all the procedural things, such as learning the layout of the steering wheel before I get into the real car. When we start testing I won’t need to think about that so I’ll just be able to get on and drive the FW34.”

“I think [my engineers and I] started off really well and now I’m looking forward to working with them more over the season,” he continued. “The relationship between a driver and engineer is something that few people can understand. You need mutual respect, to understand each other well and know how to work together in order to really gel from the start. That relationship and continuity can make such a difference to your overall performance.”

Of course, it is inevitable that Senna will continue to be asked about his uncle and, now he is at one of Ayrton’s former teams, he was also drawn to comment on that.

“It will be very interesting to drive for a team that my uncle drove for,” he said. “Quite a few of the people still here actually worked with Ayrton and I’m happy that they are now giving me the chance to prove myself here. Hopefully we can bring back some good memories and create some great new ones too.”

“I hope that by the end of 2012 we can say we extracted 100% of the performance from the Williams-Renault FW34, whatever that may be,” he concluded. “That is the most important thing. I just want to get the maximum possible out of the car and make the most of this opportunity. It is such an important year for both the team and myself as it will help shape my future. I hope that future will be long and successful, and it all starts here.”

Bruno Senna - Photo Credit:Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic

Williams have finally confirmed that Bruno Senna will race for the team in 2012. The Brazilian joins Pastor Maldonado in the team’s lineup, and returns the Senna name to the cockpit of a Williams-Renault for the first time since 1994.

Senna replaces compatriot Rubens Barrichello in the team, who now looks set to be left without a drive after 19 consecutive seasons on the grid.

After finishing runner-up in the GP2 Series in 2008, Senna had been reportedly set to replace Barrichello in the Honda team, before the Japanese manufacturer withdrew from the sport. Senna finally secured a race seat for HRT in 2010, but the car was uncompetitive. He found himself back on the sidelines at the start of 2011, but was promoted from reserve to race driver at the Renault team. He scored his first points at the Italian Grand Prix.

“I feel very privileged that Williams has selected me as one of their race drivers,” said Senna, who will make his debut for the team at the first test at Jerez on 9 February.

“The team has a great heritage and I hope I can help write a good chapter in their history. The evaluation process has been intense and methodical but the time I have spent in the factory has demonstrated that the team has great people and all the resources needed to achieve better things this season.

“It will be very interesting to drive for a team that my uncle has driven for, particularly as quite a few of the people here actually worked with Ayrton. Hopefully we can bring back some memories and create some great new ones too.

“I also want to get some good results in return for the support my country has given me to help get me to this position today. I am very proud to be Brazilian and more motivated than ever to demonstrate what I can do. Ever since I first sat in a go-kart I never wanted to do anything else.”

Team principal Frank Williams explained that Senna had been signed following a thorough evaluation by the team.

“Bruno only started racing when he was 20 years old but quickly proved his talent in F3 and GP2,” said Williams. “In a tightly fought 2008 GP2 season, Bruno finished second in the Championship with notable victories in Monaco and Silverstone, the latter in the wet.

“The circumstances of Bruno’s two seasons in Formula One have not given him an ideal opportunity to deliver consistently so it was essential that we spent as much time with him as possible to understand and evaluate him as a driver. We have done this both on track and in our simulator and he has proven quick, technically insightful and above all capable of learning and applying his learning quickly and consistently. Now we are looking forward to seeing that talent in our race car.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O8F7NaAxpqE

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, a twelve months packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. Now, having looked back over the previous year the writers of The Checkered Flag look forward at what the 2012 racing season could bring with new driver line-ups and regulations.

Peter Allen

Intra-team battles ad Force India and Toro Rosso
The two midfield F1 squads have gone with potential over experience for their 2012 driver lineups. The stakes are potentially very high for the drivers at both teams, with Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg eyeing any seat that becomes available at Mercedes, while Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will fight it out to become Mark Webber’s replacement at Red Bull. All four are highly-rated, and it will be fascinating to see what happens at both teams.

Toro Rosso teammates and F1 new boys Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne - one battle to watch in 2012

David Bean

Someone to match Vettel?
Sticking to F1, most fans will be looking for the emergence of a challenger to Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull. Will one of the McLaren pairing, or even Fernando Alonso at Ferrari, be able to stop next season becoming as one-sided as it was in 2011? It will also be interesting to see how Kimi Räikkönen and Romain Grosjean do at Renault, and how the exciting young talent – the likes of Daniel Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne and Charles Pic – manage in their first full seasons as F1 drivers.

Josh Bell

Formula One 2012
I have two, so forgive me for being greedy. The battle at Toro Rosso between their new driver line up of Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will be extremely intense, particularly as one of them may land themselves a Red Bull seat if Mark Webber departs at the end of 2012. Secondly, I am optimistic of five teams challenging for the Formula One World Championship next season. Or maybe I am just a romantic? Merry Christmas readers!

James Broomhead

NGTC comes of age
Nationally I think the BTCC is headed for another superb year. The second half of the year was the NGTC-spec cars coming out party, and in 2012 it will be interesting to see some more of the potential of the new cars when Honda roll out the new Civic. How their efforts – with Matt Neal and Gordon Shedden compare to the teams with a whole year of NGTC trouble-shooting behind them – is just another facet in a year that could bring even more manufacturers in even bigger grids.  

Andy Champness

Challengers to Team Vodafone
The V8 Supercars has again shown it’s the best touring car series in the world, so more of the same please! Team Vodafone dominated the 2011 season, but I think teams such as Stone Brothers Racing and Ford Performance Racing will up their game and close the gap in 2012. Look out for the likes of Tim Slade, David Reynolds and in particular Shane van Gisbergen who this year won his first race at his home event in New Zealand and backed it up in Darwin to finish fourth in this year’s championship. These are the sport’s new generation, young drivers who showed in 2011 that they have the talent and ability to pose a genuine threat to the more established stars.

Mark Foley

The Young(er) Blood
Formula Renault 2.0 champion Alex Lynn and the imaginatively named Carlos Sainz Jr. join the ranks of British Formula 3 for 2012, and both could be potential headaches for the more experienced British F3 runners cracking their knuckles as they eye the 2012 title. Lynn has BRDC and FIA Excellence Academy support behind him, whilst Sainz Jr. comes ominously armed with Red Bull backing, adding pressure, removing excuses and drawing plenty of keen eyes onto the youngsters tipped for future stardom.

Formula Renault UK champion Alex Lynn - one of the drivers set to make the 2012 British Formula Three Championship a year to remember

Chris Gurton

What To Look For Next Year – National racing and beyond
For me there are a number of things to look for next year. After the teething troubles of the new NGTC cars in the BTCC, a more level playing field next season and a big field should lead to an exciting championship. On the subject of touring cars, it will be interesting to see how Arena Motorsport and Special Tuning Racing cope with the step up to WTCC.

After an extremely close fought title battle in British GT, next seasons Championship will no doubt be an equally exciting and close fight. Look out for the new look Ginetta G55 GT3 and the Aston Martin V12 Vantage adding to the array of stunning cars throughout the field. For fans of endurance racing, the new World Endurance Championships should be something to look out for too.

Also, with driver moves and deals still being confirmed within Formula One, an exciting new driver to keep an eye out for is Jean Eric-Vergne. The Frenchman showed true class in the 2010 British F3 Championships on his way to the title and runner up at the end of a season in formula Renault 3.5 has shown his ability. With the backing and support of Red Bull, could he be the new Sebastian Vettel? 

Leigh O’Gorman

What To Look For In 2012 – The World Endurance Championship
The emergence of the World Endurance Championship may not just be “the thing to look for in 2012”, but rather the biggest motorsport news of the decade. Since the WEC was announced at Le Mans, manufacturers have either thrown their hat into the ring or are weighing up future participation in a series that may – realistically – have far more relevance to the automotive industry than Formula 1 could ever dream of. Also, a nod to Tony Fernandes, who continues to raise the profile of motor racing in Asia, by organising national and club championships in emerging territories.

Simon Paice

What to look for in 2012 -Ginetta Juniors
In 2012, I’m really excited for the Ginetta Junior Championship. 2011 saw the teenage racers once again produce superb racing and while Seb Morris dominated, the likes of Niall Murray, Charlie Robertson, George Gamble and Sennan Fielding emerged as top talent. With some of them returning to join the usual influx of exciting new rookies, it is sure to be a fascinating, must watch 2012 season in the G40′s.

Also something I’m really looking forward to seeing is Petter Solberg in a Ford in the WRC, taking it to the Citroens and hopefully picking up a second world title.

Vince Pettit

British Superbikes
The 2012 season in British Superbikes looks set to be another great championship battle, defending champion joined by Isle of Man record breaker Ian Hutchinson, the Swan Yamaha team will be hard to beat. Although with that said that the PBM squad have assembled a strong team with the likes of Shakey Byrne and Stuart Easton. TAS Suzuki will also feature with Alastair Seeley looking to continue his momentum in the main class after securing the National Superstock 1000 and British Supersport titles in 2009 and this season respectively.

Louis Suddaby

A New Era Begins
2012 sees the introduction of CRT (Claiming Rule Teams) in MotoGP and a glimpse into the future of the premier class of motorcycle racing. Don’t expect too much too soon but this new philosophy had to happen, if anything to give us more bikes to look at. Moto3 will replace the 125cc class and unpredictability is the only certainty while EVO rules will now effectively be standard in the British Superbike Championship, surely producing another open season. 2012 will also be a huge year for Valentino Rossi. Surely Ducati will get it right this time?

Scott Wilkes

New regulations in BTCC and MotoGP
In the BTCC, the NGTC cars that started to make a surge to the front of the pack at the end of this season should be a preview of what’s to come this season, and it should be an even better season for close racing than we have just seen.

In MotoGP, the withdrawal of Suzuki and the arrival of the CRT machines should herald the start of an interesting shakeup in the sport. With the addition of the new standardised Moto3 series replacing the 125cc Championship, I am expecting the same level of competition as we saw in the spectacular Moto2 championship this year.

As for a rider/driver to look out for, it has to be Marc Marquez. After a poor start to last season, I wasn’t expecting much more from the young Spaniard. However, as happens most times with myself, I was proved wrong, and Marquez started a brilliant resurgence which left him a position to possibly win the championship at the final race, only to be ruled out by injury.

Sebastien Buemi - Photo Credit: Peter Fox/Getty Images

Sébastien Buemi, who was dropped by Toro Rosso in December after three season with the team, will be Red Bull reserve driver in 2012.

The Swiss driver, along with former team-mate Jaime Alguersuari, were replaced at the Red Bull feeder team by Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne last month.

“It’s good to remain with Red Bull for another year and have this opportunity with the World Championship winning team,” said Buemi, speaking about his new appointment. “I would  refer to be driving at the races of course, but working with Red Bull Racing on the development of their car and providing them with feedback throughout the season is the next best thing.”

Team principal Christian Horner welcomed the 23-year-old back to the team. “It was entirely logical for Sébastien to continue with Red Bull having been a member of the Junior Team since 2004,” he said. “He already knows  he team well from his time with us in 2008 and has gained significant race experience over the past three years. He will complete important test and simulation work for us throughout the year and will be in attendance at each grand prix.”

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

Peter Allen

Huff beats Muller in Porto
Rob Huff chases down and catches Chevy teammate Yvan Muller, pulling alongside and past the Frenchman into one of the tight Portuguese street track’s chicanes. Huff attempts to turn in ahead, but there is contact. Huff goes across the inside of the chicane and keeps the lead to score his sixth win of the year. The momentum certainly seemed to be with Huff at the halfway point, but Muller would come back from this incident bigger and better to overhaul the Brit and win a third world title.

Rob Huff beat Yvan Muller in Porto (among other places) but still lost the title.

David Bean

Sky’s F1 deal
From a personal view there was the excitement of Nick Heidfeld’s car catching fire and exploding in front of us in the Hungarian Grand Prix, and the mix of exhaustion and contentment that I felt as the top three Britcar 24 Hours runners came to a stop beside me under the Silverstone podium, signalling the end of a busy 24 hours of reporting for this site. From a wider perspective, however, the moment someone from Sky Sports put their signature on a contract to show Formula 1 is one of the most significant of the year. This deal marks a radical change in how the sport is transmitted to some of its most dedicated fans, and it could have huge implications for the future of F1.

Josh Bell

Alonso’s start at Monza
There have been many in 2012, some sadly more disconcerting. The standout moment that provided me with the most emotion was Fernando Alonso‘s extraordinary start at his home Grand Prix, storming to the front of the field from fourth on the grid in the Ferrari. I was stunned in disbelief, a moment perhaps written in the storms. It was a brief, yet brilliant, high point in the race for Fernando but it was incredible nonetheless.

Jason Plato's Chevrolet Cruze before, and after, the RML run team's miraculous resurrection

James Broomhead

Moment Of The Year – RML’s Donington Rebuild
Jason Plato has just barrel rolled out of the second BTCC race at Donington Park, he physically and mentally battered by the accident at the thought of ending his weekend a race early and facing not scoring on an unhappy weekend. Cue a miraculous rebuild from the Silverline Chevrolet team in time for a superlative recovery drive almost forgotten during the rest of the season. Every possible panel on the car was replaced, a new aerial taped to the door, the entire team involved, including Plato’s father polishing the buckled roof. Enough cannot be said for the team, you wonder how many teams would even contemplate attempting the task.

Andy Champness

Moment Of The Year – Tom Boardman’s “Great” Silverstone
Moving away from Australian V8 Supercars to British Touring Cars, my moment of the year was provided by Special Tuning Racing’s Tom Boardman (and not just because I help out with their PR!) Most of you will be thinking I’m going to say the win at Knockhill, but it was actually the final two races at Silverstone. After his move on Plato at Knockhill, Tom got a bit of needless grief, so to watch him storm through to finish race two in sixth after starting from 23rd and then finishing the final race in third on his own merit was special. Tom was ecstatic afterwards, telling me: “That has to be one of the best races I’ve had all season! I know my win at Knockhill was good, but that felt great!” It was a poignant moment, knowing how hard the team had worked to get the cars fighting at the front and for Tom to show he can genuinely cut it with the best of them.

Tom Boardman took a maiden BTCC win at Knockhill, but it's his performance at the season finale that is Andy Champness' moment of the year

Mark Foley

British Formula 3 Paul Ricard, Final Corner, Final Lap
An edgy, race-long tussle between key championships contenders, Felipe Nasr and Kevin Magnussen, apparently wasn’t interesting enough for feisty Portuguese series-hopper Antonio Felix Da Costa, who made his presence felt throughout his guest appearance at the Paul Ricard weekend from the first corner to the last…Magnussen, Da Costa and Nasr ran nose-to-tail throughout, with a resilient Magnussen looking set to hold off strong opposition and claim a much needed win for his stuttering championship campaign. But, with the chequered flag in sight, an all-too-late lunge at the last corner from Da Costa saw the young Dane flicked off the circuit, allowing Nasr through to take yet another win. It not only sent pulses racing, but also managed to define each protagonist’s season in some respects – Da Costa’s wild racecraft, Nasr’s consistency and Magnussen’s awful luck.

Chris Gurton

Mark Webber’s pass at Eau Rouge
I’ve been fortunate enough to witness and be part of a number of great moments over the past year within motorsport and will have many stories to tell my grandchildren. But one moment that I couldn’t let pass without mentioning was a real breathtaking moment which sums up just what it takes to be a great racing driver. I am of course talking about Mark Webber’s stunning overtake on Fernando Alonso during the Belgian Grand Prix. Having got a better exit from La Source, Webber was gaining on the Spaniard down the hill towards Eau Rouge tucked into the slip stream. Assuming he would wait for the run up to Les Combes and the DRS Zone to make his move, remarkably we witnessed Webber pull out and pass the Ferrari round the outside and through Eau Rouge in a move which would normally end in tears. It was a remarkable manoeuvre and one that many would never even consider but was executed with skill and precision by the Aussie.

Leigh O’Gorman

Dan Wheldon’s fatal crash
Sadly, this has to go to the death of Dan Wheldon – the ramifications of which may be felt in motor racing for years to come. Since the crash, noises for better cockpit protection for single-seater’s have grown louder, while IndyCar’s days at high-banked ovals may be numbered. With IndyCar struggling for ovals, Wheldon’s death – amongst all the pointless greed and bickering of the owners and organisers – may finally be what defines the future of IndyCar. That Wheldon was about to move to a new chapter as the driver of Andretti-Autosport’s Go Daddy car makes it all the more tragic. A true superstar was lost.

Whether be the future of open-wheel oval racing, or the closed cockpit concept the death of Dan Wheldon will be felt by the Indycar fraternity and beyond for years to come

Simon Paice

Teammates get it wrong
There are two moments that stand out for me, both being incidents that stunned me into silence when team-mates got it wrong on track. First was the Honda Racing mix-up at Oulton Park in the BTCC, when Matt Neal made a last lap, final corner lunge at Gordon Shedden and resulted in putting them both through the gravel, cueing shocked faces from everyone watching.

The other was in the Formula Renault BARC opener at Croft, when the Fortec Motorsport team had a disaster. Braking for the first corner on the opening lap, contact between three of the Fortec cars resulted in its two title contenders, Josh Webster and Archie Hamilton, ending their races in the gravel, to the disbelief of those in attendance. This proved decisive in Webster narrowly missing out on the title.

Vince Pettit

Seeing Liam Doran take X Games Gold was a definite highlight of my year. I’ve been a fan of the X Games for some years and the recent addition of Rallycross has been excellent. Seeing Liam Doran work his way through the heats to face a head to head with rally legend Marcus Gronholm was amazing. Who would have thought a British driver in Downtown Los Angeles could cause such an upset on his X Games debut.

Liam Doran flew to X-Games glory, defeating Marcus Gronholm in the LA final

Louis Suddaby

Faubel and Zarco’s Dead Heat in Germany
Even now, I look at the photo finish from that day and still can’t believe what I’m seeing! The 125cc class is no stranger to close finishes but this was incredible. Never in the history of Grand Prix motorcycle racing had we seen a dead heat and the winner decided by a tiebreak. The fastest lap of the race swung it Faubel’s way. On four wheels, the Honda implosion at the final corner at Oulton Park stands out as a jaw dropping moment from the BTCC while Jenson Button’s last lap win in Canada also had me shouting at the telly!

TCF's two-wheel regular Louis Suddaby on the end of the 125cc race in Germany "I look at the photo finish from that day and still can’t believe what I’m seeing!"

Scott Wilkes

0.006s.
It’s difficult to describe just how epic the final two laps of the British Superbike Championship were. As Shane Byrne ran away with the victory in the final race at Brands Hatch, the title contenders were locked in a titanic duel for second. As the laps counted down to the penultimate tour, John Hopkins and Tommy Hill. After swapping positions at practically every corner, it came down to a sprint for the line out of the final corner. In the end, Tommy Hill walked away from Brands with the British title, and the honour of being part of two of the greatest laps of racing ever witnessed.

Patrick Head - Photo Credit: Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic

Patrick Head, Director of Engineering and co-founder of the Williams F1 team, has today stepped-down from the Board of Directors of Williams Grand Prix Holdings PLC.

Head will continue in his role as a Board Director of Williams Hybrid Power Limited, a subsidiary of the company that develops and produces hybrid technology, but now has no role within the F1 team.

In a statement, the company wished him well in his future activities and said that it ‘remains indebted for his service to Williams F1 over the past 34 years’.

Fellow co-founder and Williams team principal Sir Frank Williams who, with Head, masterminded 113 grand prix victories and secured nine Constructors’ and seven Drivers’ world Championships, thanks his colleague.

“Patrick and I have been in partnership for 34 years,” he commented. “During that time, he has been the leader of the technical team that has won the majority of our race wins and championships. This is a remarkable legacy and one which will be treasured and definitely not forgotten. 

“Patrick is a very straightforward, hard working and truly gifted engineer who comfortably operates at a world class level. I will miss him very much, as I am sure his colleagues will, and he will always be welcome at Grove. Indeed, Patrick will still be seen around the factory as he continues to be involved in the development of our hybrid power activities.”

Nigel Mansell CBE - Photo Credit: Andrew Ferraro/LAT Photographic

Nigel Mansell and Adrian Newey have received awards in the Queen’s New Years Honours list, it has been announced today.

Mansell, who had already been given the OBE for services to Motorsport, is today awarded with the CBE for services to Children and Young People. The 1992 world champion is president of the charity UK Youth, and this year raised £1 million by cycling 1,375 miles around Britain.

Newey, Chief  Technical Officer at Red Bull, receives an OBE for services to Motorsport. The 53-year-old has designed championship-winning cars at Williams and McLaren and, since moving to his current job in Milton Keynes, has masterminded the RB6 and RB7 – the two cars that have helped Sebastian Vettel claim back-to-back title wins.

In total, Newey-designed cars have won eight Constructors’ championships. The first of these came in 1992 with the Williams FW14B, driven by Riccardo Patrese… and Nigel Mansell.

Nine winners of 2011, and tributes to two who lost their lives aiming to join them

 The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. As the writers of The Checkered Flag continue to look back on the year they pick their ’Race of the Year’, inlcuding a GT race decided on the final lap,  an endurance race to convert the unconvinced and a Grand Prix that became an endurance race – at least for spectators. 

Peter Allen

GP3 Nurburgring Race 1
Lewis Williamson had been set to become GP3’s first two-time winner of 2011 with his second consecutive victory after his Arden teammate Mitch Evans had received a drive-through penalty. But then the rain came down with just a few laps to go. Rio Haryanto quickly reeled Williamson in, taking the lead when the Scot ran wide at Turn 1. The lead then changed hands between the pair twice more over the following corners, before Valtteri Bottas caught and passed Williamson and chased after Haryanto. The Indonesian would hold on for a fine win, while Williamson would regain second from Bottas before the finish.

the changing weather brought Rio Haryanto to the front of the GP3 race at the Nurburgring

David Bean

Canadian Grand Prix
The Canadian Grand Prix was an epic race. It was the longest in F1 history – mainly thanks to a rain delay of over two hours in the middle of the race – but when the cars were on track there was not a dull moment. There were collisions between frontrunners, mistakes from champions, fantastic overtaking manoeuvres, an excellent drive from Regenmeister Michael Schumacher and, of course, the victory that Jenson Button described as the best of his career. Other F1 races came close to matching this one – China, Monaco and Hungary spring to mind – but nothing was quite as gripping as that June afternoon in Montreal.

Josh Bell

Formula Renault 3.5 at the Nurburgring
Given that the Canadian Grand Prix is probably going to be the most popular choice, I have gone for something less ingrained in the minds of the public. For me, and perhaps I am little biased given I cover the category, Race One in the Formula Renault 3.5 event at the Nurburgring was scintillating, as Robert Wickens and Daniel Ricciardo battled for victory in intermittent conditions from the very first lap. The Canadian won it by a nose and courtesy of Eurosport, here is the link to the highlights of that wonderful race:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HABa8ZC6HqU

James Broomhead

British GT, Snetterton
You cannot talk about races without mentioning the 24 Hours of Le Mans – that was pure fairy tale. However, the two hour Avon Tyres British GT race at Snetterton was the most impossibly twisting event of the year. Matt Bell and Michael Guasch won United Autosports’ first ever race by leading just the final lap and after serving two penalties. Glynn Geddie almost wins the race in the pits, Matt Griffin hit a spinning backmarker while battling for the lead, the two Porsches hit each other early on in the rain and the GT4 winner came back from the longest stop-go penalty I can ever remember – 1:11.

Matt Bell and Michael Guasch came back from two penalties to take a last gasp win at Snetterton

Andy Champness

Bathurst 1000
For me it has to be Bathurst. Call me predictable, but this race is anything but! It had everything – drama, heartache, crashes, breakdowns and even a terrifying fuel fire. But after 161 laps around this perilous mountain and almost six and a half hours of driving, it was an epic, down to the wire battle between Craig Lowndes and Garth Tander racing for everything they had. Over the final 20 laps, Lowndes stormed through from fourth carving chunks of out of Tander’s lead to just half a second going into the last lap. Tander did brilliantly to survive the onslaught and the difference between winning and losing the 2011 Bathurst 1000 came down to just 0.292 seconds!

Mark Foley

Macau GP
When open-wheel champions from all corners of the globe were set to go wheel-to-wheel for the 58^th Macau GP, it promised much, and didn’t disappoint. After a furiously paced 4-way scrap for the lead fought with slipstreaming and heavy braking – jubilant opportunist Daniel Juncadella took the win with Marco Wittmann in 3^rd (the early leader and certainly the moral victor having dropped down the order after a late safety car). With British F3 champ Felipe Nasr in 2^nd, a podium rich with young talent served as a great book-end to the Formula 3 year.

Daniel Juncadella beat pole-sitter Marco Wittmann and British F3 Champion Felipe Nasr in a terrific close to the F3 year

Chris Gurton

24 Hours of Le Mans
For me the race of the year has to be the Le Mans 24 hour. Set to be another ding dong battle between the Peugeots and Audi with their new R18 car, it didn’t disappoint. After two huge accidents involving the Audi no.3 of Allan McNish and the no.1 of Mike Rockenfeller the German marque was left with what some would say was their weaker driver line up of Marcel Fassler, Andre Lotterer and Benoit Treluyer to bring home the sole remaining Audi. Up against the 3 factory backed Peugeot 908’s and the privateer Oreca 908 they certainly showed their true ability and maturity in the face of some quite remarkable and dangerous tactics from the French team to pressure the Audi into a mistake. With seconds splitting the front running Audi and the Bourdais, Lamy and Pegenaud Peugeot in second place the finishing margin after 24 hours of racing was just 13.8s. Those who think endurance racing is boring should think again.

The Audi R18 of Andre Lotterer, Marcel Fassler and Benoit Treluyer, winners of this year's 24 Hours of Le Mans, photographer Chris Gurton's race of the year

Leigh O’Gorman

Race Of The Year – Ford 400, Homestead-Miami Speedway
This is easy easy. From the moment the flag dropped, eventual champion Tony Stewart was absolutely on it and taking the challenge to Carl Edwards, with Stewart winning by a second. Thankfully, there was no nonsense, no ridiculous wrecking, no competition cautions and no TV-driven interruptions – just some of the hardest racing of the year. It was everything NASCAR could be if they just stopped screwing around with the package. The rain delays only ramped up the tension throughout. Brilliant stuff.

Simon Paice

BTCC’s first Croft Race
My race of the year has to be the opening BTCC race at Croft. Mat Jackson produced one of his trademark drives through the field in changing conditions and after passing twelve cars, narrowly missed out on the win by 0.055 seconds to Matt Neal, a race that epitomised the entertainment of the BTCC.

Neal and Jackson race towards the checkered flag - Neal would win. Just.

Another race that will also last long in my memory is the Canadian Grand Prix. The longest race in Formula One history, it had it all, safety cars, a rain delay, Michael Schumacher nearly getting his first comeback podium, a rare Sebastian Vettel mistake and a superb Jenson Button drive through the field for the most unlikely of victories.

Vince Pettit

British Superbike Finale, Brands Hatch
My race of the year has to be the final race of the British Superbike 2011 season on the GP circuit at Brands Hatch. After a season of hard racing the championship comes down to the last race and was decided by just 0.006 seconds. The race itself was amazing to watch, especially the last lap where it so easily could have been either Hill or Hopkins; neither rider wanting to roll over and accept defeat. Eventually the Brit defeated the American in a fight that will go down in BSB folklore.

The BSB finale - John Hopkins and Tommy Hill battling on track over the title - was a two-wheeled race of the year

Louis Suddaby

BSB Final Weekend: Race Three
Often, title deciders end in tears but the very last race of the British Superbike season saw Tommy Hill and John Hopkins race fair and square with everything on the line, producing the best lap of racing I’ve ever seen, bar none. The two swapped places six times on the last lap and Hill made it over the finish line six thousandths of a second ahead of Hopkins to win the championship. For sheer excitement and given what was at stake, nothing on two wheels came close this year.

Scott Wilkes

Canadian Grand Prix
This was the most difficult accolade for me to chose this year, as this years motor sport season hasn’t really pulled me in as much as previous seasons. Thinking back throughout the year however, one race stood out to me. On my way back from spectating at Silverstone for the British MotoGP, I was witnessing reports on Twitter that the Canadian Grand Prix had been red flagged for around an hour. I almost hadn’t tuned in once I’d arrived home, but how glad I was I had.

Witnessing Jenson Button‘s surge through the field was a sight to behold. Despite various contacts throughout the race with team-mate Lewis Hamilton and Ferrari‘s Fernando Alonso, Button held onto the leading pack, and in drying conditions which he loves, he was able to set some blistering laps to catch Sebastian Vettel, and force the leader into making a mistake on the penultimate lap.

Nine winners from 2011, and two who lost their lives trying to join them

The twelve months of 2011 have been twelve months of contrasts, a twelve months packed with the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. In this, the first of four articles where the authors who brought these highs and lows to the pages of The Checkered Flag, look back at 2011 and pick their ‘Driver of The Year’ including a man who won two British GT races, an F3 runner-up and somebody called Vettel.

Peter Allen

Romain Grosjean
After seeing off the challenge of Jules Bianchi to win the four-race Asia Series in February/March, “Big John” was kept on his toes during the early rounds of the main series campaign. However, he found another gear mid-season as his early rivals faltered, claiming four races wins in as many race weekends before claiming the title at Spa. After never having been given a proper chance first time around, Grosjean has now earned himself a well-deserved return to Formula 1, getting the chance to go head-to-head against new teammate Kimi Raikkonen at Lotus.

GP2 champion Grosjean has earnt a well deserved second shot at F1

David Bean

Sebastian Vettel
Within Formula 1, to pick anybody other than Sebastian Vettel as Driver of the Year would be deeply unfair to the German. He may have had the best car, but it takes some skill to claim 15 pole positions, 11 race wins, and lead a ridiculously high percentage of racing laps over the course of a season. Fans of Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso can rightly claim that their drivers had good seasons, but both finished someway behind the double world champion.

The youngest ever double F1 champion - Sebastian Vettel was a popular choice for driver of the year

Josh Bell

Sebastian Vettel
It has to be Vettel. It will be a very long time before we process his extraordinary achievements from 2011. The RB7, although still the fastest car on the grid, was not as dominant as its predecessor the RB6, but Vettel’s sheer pace in the car was sol destroying for the rest of the field. If I had to choose one stand out moment, it would be his breathtaking pass on Fernando Alonso at Curva Grande; simply phenomenal, as he was all year.

James Broomhead

Kevin Magnussen
Yes, he may have finished second to Felipe Nasr in the British Formula Three Championship, but Kevin Magnussen was the fastest driver whenever he got the chance. That speed, coupled with an aggressive streak made him scintillating watching – passing Nasr twice around the outside of Riches, for example. With better luck, fewer mechanical problems and fewer instances of that aggressive streak ending in accidents, I have no doubt that the Dane would have pushed Nasr all the way for the title – at least.

Kevin Magnussen, according to James Broomhead the fastest man from British F3's class of 2011

Andy Champness

Jamie Whincup
I’m a big Craig Lowndes fan, he put in some phenomenal drives to close the gap at the top of the standings this season – three wins out of three at the Ipswich 300, finishing sixth at Sandown after starting from 27th in a race that had other drivers screaming down the radio claiming conditions were too dangerous. But there’s no doubt that the class act of 2011 has been Lowndes’ teammate, Jamie Whincup – ten race wins, nine pole positions, a third championship win in four years, and for the fifth consecutive season he’s finished inside the top two – and for that Mr consistency, Jamie Whincup gets my vote.

Jamie Whincup took back the V8 Supercars title, and a driver of the year nod from the TCF team

Mark Foley

Sebastian Vettel
There’s certainly been no shortage of dominant championship campaigns across many disciplines this year, but Sebastian Vettel‘s has to stand out above the rest. His record-breaking season has been and will continue to be praised in detail for years to come, so there’s little to add – so for F1 fans and even Seb himself, 2011 was simply an awe-inspiring discovery of just how much talent the young German has.

Chris Gurton

Jonny Adam
Many names spring to mind in various race series but the driver who sticks out for me is Jonny Adam. Making the switch from BTCC to British GT with a seat in the Beechdean Motorsport Aston Martin he certainly took to the series like a duck to water. Quite literally, as his performances in the wet behind the wheel of the now aging DBRS9 proved as he was challenging the newer machinery at the front and claiming victory at a wet Rockingham. Adam certainly gave the Aston Martin a fitting farewell in its final season and with the teams switch to the new V12 Vantage Aston looks set to build on his impressive debut season in British GT next year.

As part of the Beechdean Motorsport team Jonny Adam won two British GT races with superb drives in the aging Aston

Leigh O’Gorman

Sebastian Vettel
This accolade can only be for Sebastian Vettel. For all his critics who claim he has the best car or isn’t action orientated enough, the World Champion continues to drag 110% from what he drives to ensure he doesn’t have to fight in the pack – the mark of a true great. His ability to drag a large gap before the DRS kicks in deserves a mention, as does his wheel-to-wheel fight with Fernando Alonso at Monza. Vettel’s pass on Lewis Hamilton in Korea was also brilliantly done and won him the race.

Canada apart, there were few errors, just pure brilliance. What more could you ask for?

Simon Paice

Dino Zamparelli
A class apart on and off track, 2011 Protyre Formula Renault BARC Champion Dino Zamparelli is my driver of the year. Dino overcame a slow start to the year to control a competitive BARC series, a highlight being his dominate display at Thruxton, where he took pole by 0.6 seconds before winning both races, leading to a deserved championship title and finalist spot in the McLaren Autosport BRDC Award. Off track, Dino conducted himself professionally throughout the year, coping well with all the problems and pressure he faced to take the championship and restart his career.

"A class apart" - Formula Renualt BARC champion Dino Zamparelli in 2011

Vince Pettit

Jenson Button
He always seemed to be there bugging Vettel. Along with Alonso and Webber he was one of the few that actually took the fight to the defending World Champion. He stepped things up this year and made himself the lead driver for McLaren in a team that started the year in a very equal situation between himself and Lewis Hamilton.

Louis Suddaby

Marco Simoncelli
No review of 2011 would be complete without mentioning this man. Casey Stoner was the deserving champion but 2011 will always be Marco’s year. He showed front running pace all season and that maiden victory looked very close indeed. The tribute in Valencia two weeks after his tragic death will live long in the memory. In terms of who impressed me most in 2011, Maverick Vinales gets my vote for a sensational rookie season in the 125cc class. Three poles, four wins and just 52 points away from the eventual champion, all at the age of 16. You’ll hear his name a lot in the future.

Scott Wilkes

Marco Simoncelli
This isn’t just a posthumous “Honor” that I am bestowing on the fallen Italian for the sake of it. The gangly, afro haired nutter on two wheels captured my imagination a few years ago, but the way that Simoncelli exploded out of the blocks at the start of the season was a delight to watch. His, almost anarchic way, he would attack the field, going for overtakes that others branded as dangerous, made Simoncelli a fan favourite. He may have had his flaws, with many notable incidents, the most controversial of which was his coming together with Pedrosa at Le Mans, which left the tiny Spaniard with a damaged collarbone. After this incident, Simoncelli was almost treated like an outcast by many of the grid, with Lorenzo even saying he should be arrested.

This only made the fans love him more, and when Marco finished second at Phillip Island, there was a sense that a man already thought of as a legend by many, was on the verge of his maiden win. However, his untimely passing in Sepang has now left the sport with a massive hole on the grid, as riders like Simoncelli don’t come along very often.

"A joy to watch" - Marco Simoncelli

Paul di Resta (left) and Nico Hulkenberg - Photo Credit: Sahara Force India F1 Team

Force India have finally announced that Paul di Resta and Nico Hulkenberg will form the team’s driver line-up for the 2012 season.

Di Resta will start his second season in Formula 1 next March after impressing in his debut season. For Hulkenberg, 2012 will also be his second season in the sport; his career began with a year at Williams in 2010, and he was then test driver for Force India in 2011.

Adrian Sutil, who has been with the team since 2007 when they raced under the Spyker name, will now have to look elsewhere if he is to stay on the F1 grid in 2012.

This announcement has been widely predicted over the last month, but the team chose to wait until today to officially confirm their driver line-up.

“I am delighted to present our line-up for the 2012 season,” said team principal Vijay Mallya. “In Paul and Nico we have two extremely talented drivers with tremendous potential.

“I think Paul caught the eye of everybody in the pit lane during his rookie season. His speed, maturity and racecraft confirmed that we were right to believe in him and we look forward to working with him again next year.

“As for Nico, we identified him as a rising star at the end of 2010 and chose to evaluate him during the course of this season. Despite having only limited time in the car, he convinced us that he deserved a race seat for 2012.

“Our new line-up means we say ‘goodbye’ to Adrian Sutil, who has been with the team since we entered the sport. He has been an integral part of our success over the past four seasons and we wish him well for the future.”

Di Resta said that he is looking forward to 2012, and another season with Force India. “I’m really looking forward to my second season of Formula One and continuing to grow and develop with Sahara Force India,” said the Scot. “I’ve said all along that I love being part of this team: they are ambitious, hungry for success and we work well together. I’m really excited about 2012 and there is a real sense of belief that we can continue to push the top teams and take another step forward.

“I’d also like to thank the team for all their hard work this year and for all the support they’ve given me. I’ll take some time out over the next few weeks to recharge my batteries and hopefully come back even stronger in 2012.”

Hulkenberg has had a frustrating season sitting on the sidelines and competing in only a few Friday practice sessions. He is very pleased that 2012 will see him back in a race seat. “I’m obviously delighted to be staying with Sahara Force India and to be given the chance to race next year,” said the German, who impressed in his debut season by taking pole position at the Brazilian Grand Prix. “It wasn’t easy to watch from the sidelines this season, but I did my best to help the team and show what I was capable of.

“I’m extremely motivated for 2012 and would like to thank everyone for believing in me and giving me this chance. I’m keen to get down to work over the winter to develop our new car and help the team build on this year’s achievements. The first test in Jerez can’t come soon enough.”

Bernie Ecclestone congratulates Sebastian Vettel on a brilliant year - Photo Credit: Clive Mason/Getty Images

The drivers’ championship may have been wrapped up back in Part 4 of this review, as Sebastian Vettel took third place in the Japanese Grand Prix and collected enough points to take a second consecutive title, but there were still things to be settled in the final four races of 2011.

There was still a constructors’ championship to award – Red Bull led that particular race after Japan, with 518 points compared to the 388 of McLaren – and there were some drivers and teams with unfinished business as well.

For example, whilst Vettel had collected nine race wins by this point, Webber had not won a single race in what was essentially the same car – he needed a victory by the end of the year. Moreover, nobody apart from the two Red Bull drivers had taken a pole position this season – would anybody manage to beat the team in qualifying before the end of the year?

That question was answered at the next race in Korea, which took place just a week after the events in Japan. Lewis Hamilton topped the timesheets during Friday practice in Yeongam, and Jenson Button was fastest on Saturday morning. Regardless of the McLaren pace during those sessions, pundits were wary of predicting pole position for anybody other than Vettel. However, Hamilton did take pole position, and it was with a lap over two tenths of a second faster than anything Vettel could manage.

On race day, Vettel got past Hamilton into Turn 3 of the first lap, and then scampered off into the distance in his trademark style. Hamilton held off Mark Webber during the closing stages of the race to take second. First and third place was enough for Red Bull to secure the constructors’ championship.

After F1 left Korea, the world of motorsport was rocked by two tragedies in quick succession. Hours after Vettel had taken victory in Korea, Dan Wheldon was killed in a 15-car crash at the Indy Car Series race in Las Vegas. Then, one week later, MotoGP rider Marco Simoncelli was fatally injured in a horrific accident in Malaysia. Many within the F1 community knew one of both of these popular drivers, and there was a sombre mood within the paddock as the teams arrived in India for the next grand prix.

Drivers and team bosses pay their respects to Dan Wheldon and Marco Simoncelli with a minutes silence on the grid at the Indian Grand Prix - Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

The inaugural Indian Grand Prix was a race that everybody was excited about. After their first laps of the track on the Friday, drivers were more or less unanimous in their praise of the circuit, describing it as the best of all the Hermann Tilke designs. Visiting India seemed like a bit of a culture shock for most of the F1 community, but all seemed to enjoy their first experience of the country.

There were some teething problems however. There was an early red flag in the Friday morning practice session, just after Karun Chandhok had completed the first timed lap of the new Buddh International Circuit, when a dog came onto the track. After that session, Lewis Hamilton was summoned to the stewards once again. This time he was found guilty of speeding under yellow flags, and was given a three-place grid penalty for the race.

Vettel took pole position (the most typed four words in 2011?) on the Saturday and, after a perfect start on race day, cruised to victory. Hamilton and Massa crashed (the second most-typed four-word phrase of 2011?) during the race. Massa was deemed to be the responsible party this time round, and was given the drive-through penalty. This might have been some consolation to Hamilton, but the McLaren driver still needed a trip through the pitlane to replace his nose, which was damaged in the incident. He eventually finished seventh.

Hamilton seemed in a much better mood when F1 arrived at the penultimate race of the season in Abu Dhabi. He topped the timesheets in FP2, FP3, Q1 and Q2 and looked on course for pole position. However, Vettel pulled another superb lap out of the bag right at the end of Q3, and snatched it from Hamilton by less than two tenths of a second. Interestingly, Vettel and Hamilton are the only drivers to ever start an F1 race at the Yas Marina circuit from the front row of the grid.

On race day, Vettel’s luck finally ran out. After starting from the front row and finishing on the podium in all but one race so far in 2011, his Abu Dhabi Grand Prix lasted just one lap. After getting a good start, and beating Hamilton into the first corner, a sudden puncture spun the German off track into Turn 2. He managed to get his car back round to the pits, but the damage caused by the flailing tyre carcass was terminal. It was Vettel’s first retirement since the 2010 Korean Grand Prix.

Vettel joined his team on the pit wall after early elimination from the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix - Photo Credit: Ker Robertson/Getty Images

Retirement for Vettel allowed Hamilton to take a well-deserved third victory of the season. Finally, for what seemed like the first time in months, a smile spread across his face as he got out of the car, and this was much more like the Hamilton of old. His mother, who he had flown to Abu Dhabi for a birthday treat, seemed to inspire Hamilton to victory that weekend.

Jenson Button took a hard-fought third place after suffering with intermittent KERS throughout the evening. That result guaranteed that he would finish ahead of Hamilton in the drivers’ standings – and become the first team-mate to ever beat the 2008 champion over the course of a season.

The teams then stayed on in Abu Dhabi for the Young Driver Test, which happened in the week following the grand prix. Jean-Eric Vergne topped the timesheets for Red Bull on each of the three days, but it remains to be seen whether he has convinced the team to find him a race seat for 2012.

Vettel celebrates beating Mansell's record for pole positions in Brazil - Photo Credit: Mark Thompson/Getty Images

With the slight feeling of fatigue in the air, Formula 1 headed to Brazil for the final race of the season. With the start of December just days away, round 19 got underway in Interlagos. Sebastian Vettel set a new record for the number of pole positions in a season as he took number fifteen at the season finale – one more than Nigel Mansell managed back in 1992.

The final race of the season was a punishing event for gearboxes. Vettel had to relinquish the lead of the grand prix to team-mate Mark Webber on Lap 30 after his team were frantically encouraging him to slow down and short-shift through certain gears. The double world champion continued to lap at a competitive pace though, and never looked like succumbing to Jenson Button, who secured second place in the drivers’ championship by finishing the race third.

Lewis Hamilton was forced to retire when his gearbox gave up. He made an effort to go and see Felipe Massa once the race had finished, and the two patched up what had become a strained relationship over the course of the season.

Although the checkered flag in Brazil marked the end of the Brazilian Grand Prix, there were still announcements to come during the following week. In fact, the first came just hours after the final grand prix, with Virgin Racing revealing that French rookie Charles Pic would replace Jerome D’Ambrosio next season.

Just a couple of days later came some even bigger news: 2007 world champion Kimi Räikkönen was returning with Renault, which means that there will be six world champions on the grid at the first race in Australia next season. Later that week Williams confirmed that Pastor Maldonado would remain at the team for 2012. Renault have also announced that Romain Grosjean will return to Formula 1 with the team to partner Räikkönen.

Looking back on 2011, it is difficult to rate exactly how good a season it was. Sebastian Vettel clearly dominated, taking fifteen pole positions, eleven race wins, and finishing 122 points – the equivalent of nearly five victories – ahead of any other driver. Normally, domination on this scale would be considered a bad thing, but a lot of the races were entertaining from start to finish, in spite of the ease in which Vettel won.

The ability of the season to continue to throw up exciting races, even when the eventual winner was so predictable, is some feat. Therefore, although 2011 was considerably different to 2010 – a vintage season in the opinion of a lot of observers – it still rates pretty highly.

Vettel was undoubtedly driver of the season. True, he had the best car, but so did Mark Webber. Vettel was fast from the outset, not bothered by the differences between Bridgestone and Pirelli, or the additional challenges that KERS (or lack of the system, as he experienced in the first few races) and DRS provided. At no stage of the season were there any stupid mistakes, tantrums, or unnecessary fights with other drivers.

Webber was, to be honest, fairly anonymous for most of the season. He benefitted from Vettel’s gearbox problem in the final race of the season to take a singly victory but really, with the car he had, he should probably feel that ten podium finishes when his team-mate had seventeen is a bit of an underachievement.

Two drivers really did impress this season: Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso. The former out-performed team-mate Hamilton in seven of the final nine races of 2011 – an impressive feat, and he looks very comfortable at McLaren. Alonso performed impeccably in a car that appeared, by some distance at a few races, to be slower than those of Red Bull and McLaren. He took ten podium finishes in the end, and finished only one point behind Webber in the title race. It will be interesting to see if Ferrari can produce a car worthy of their double world champion next season.

Button impressed in 2011 by beating Hamilton - can he claim a second title next season? - Photo Credit: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

Mercedes showed steady improvements over the course of the season, and will hope to be competing for victories in 2012. Michael Schumacher was much closer to Nico Rosberg this season, and impressed on occasions with his race craft. There is no doubt that Rosberg is a good qualifier, but there were only three occasions this season when he finished a race in a higher position than where he started. He is, of course, still chasing that elusive first win, and it will be interesting to see how he fares against Schumacher next season if the car is competing for podium positions.

Renault, in contrast to Mercedes, got worse and worse as the season went on. They will be known as Lotus next season – will this and the appearance of Kimi Räikkönen galvanise the team, and help them to keep up with the development race?

Force India achieved their target of finishing sixth in the constructors’ table, and their driver Paul di Resta, on paper and in the eyes of many pundits, was the rookie of the season in 2011. With Nico Hulkenberg rumoured to be joining the Scot at the team next season, they will have two fast drivers which should, along with the investment from Sahara, help the team push further up the grid in 2012.

Toro Rosso also punched above their weight this season and it was thought that Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari had probably done enough merit another season at the team. However, it was announced on Wednesday of this week that Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will be driving for the team next season. These are two promising rookies who could go onto great things, and it will be interesting to see what they can do in 2012.

Sauber had some decent results in 2011, especially the fifth place for Kamui Kobayashi in Monaco, and scored points at thirteen of the nineteen races. Sergio Perez impressed, and will have another season at the team to prove he can succeed at this level.

The four rookies of 2011: Paul di Resta (left) and Sergio Perez (second left) impressed whilst Pastor Maldonado (second right) and Jerome D'Ambrosio (far right) struggled in uncompetitive cars - Photo Credit: Sahara Force India F1 Team; Sauber Motorsport AG; Glenn Dunbar/LAT Photographic; Marussia Virgin Racing

The less said about Williams’ season the better! Five points for a team that, fifteen years ago, had drivers fighting amongst themselves for championships, is embarrassing. A shake-up of their technical department and a healthy supply of Venezuelan state oil money should help them turn things around next season, but it looks to be a long time before they are battling for race wins again.

It looks as though 2011 could be the final season for Rubens Barrichello though. He looks unlikely to retain his seat at Williams next season, and other available seats are quickly filling up. By all accounts, the Brazilian is one of the nicest of all the drivers in F1, and has achieved a lot in his nineteen seasons but, unfortunately, it looks as though his time in the sport has come to end.

The three new teams did not appear to trouble the established teams too much this season, although there were a few races where the Team Lotus drivers could finish ahead of the likes of Sauber, Williams and Renault and, even in qualifying, the pace of their cars did get some of the slower midfield teams concerned. The team have since changed their name to Caterham, and will be hoping that, in their third season of competition, they can be in with a fighting chance of scoring points in 2012.

Virgin Racing become Marussia next season and, along with HRT, are promising great things for 2012 and beyond. Both say they have decent funding; both will have at least one experienced driver now that Pedro de la Rosa has been announced at HRT and Timo Glock remains at Virgin. It remains to be seen how they fare, but it seems unlikely that either team will make a huge improvement over the winter break that will propel them into the midfield.

Pirelli are promising to up the stakes with tyres again next season, supplying softer and less resilient compounds. The Italian tyre company have been a breath of fresh air this season, and largely responsible for the dramatic races we have witnessed.

KERS is here to stay, and with the new teams using the system as well next year, the sport will be fairer. It is important that Formula 1 is seen to be developing useful technology, and KERS is something that should be relevant to road cars in the future.

DRS messes around with the racing too much, and has an air of artificiality about it. In some races, the system did absolutely nothing; in others, it made overtaking far too easy. In Abu Dhabi, use of the system was farcical: with two DRS zones, drivers would be overtaken in the first, and then regain the position a few corners later when it was them that had the use of an open rear-wing. DRS will still be around next season, and hopefully the FIA will have a better idea of how long to make activation zones to provide drivers with just the right amount of help.

Over the course of five articles and more than 10,000 words, that was 2011. It was a long season, with plenty happening throughout. On the 18th March – less than 100 days from now – the 2012 season begins and, if every race remains on the calendar, there will be 20 rounds to look forward to (although one of those will be in Valencia).

Have a good Christmas, and see you in Melbourne!

With enough world champions on the grid to fit across two podiums, 2012 should provide us with another great F1 season - Photo Credits: Lorenzo Bellanca/LAT Photographic; Andrew Hone/Getty Images

• There will be news of driver movements and other stories from Formula 1 throughout the winter here on TheCheckeredFlag.co.uk and, of course, full coverage of the 2012 season as it happens.
• Thanks go to the following for their help with covering F1 news on this site at various stages during the season: Peter Allen, Bethany Andrews, James Broomhead, Joe Finnerty and Louis Suddaby.

New team-mates: Ricciardo (left) and Vergne - Photo Credit: Andrew Hone/Andrew Hone/Getty Images

Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne have today been discussing what life will be like at Toro Rosso after the team yesterday announced them as the race drivers for next season.

Ricciardo, when asked how it felt to be given this job, seemed pretty pleased: “It feels amazing!” exclaimed the Australian. “It’s nice coming into next season knowing what I’m doing and being able to focus solely on that. I am looking forward to working with a good group of people that I already spent a lot of time with this year. So there’s plenty to look forward to in 2012.”

“I was actually at home, it was after dinner and the phone call came,” he added. “It was short, sharp and to the point, but it contained all the news I wanted to hear. It was an awesome Christmas present and a big relief. I was with Mum and Dad at the time and I came out of my room and told them the news and it felt pretty special.”

“Until something is done you are always going to be a little bit concerned [that you might not get a drive], but I know everyone at Red Bull is looking after my interests and I felt I had done a good enough job this year for them to try and find me a seat for 2012. I had faith something would come through.”

Ricciardo has spent 2011 around the Formula 1 paddock. The early part of the year was spent at Toro Rosso, where the 22-year-old completed some Friday practice session for the team. From the British Grand Prix onwards, he was driving for HRT.

“Looking back at the whole year, I did more travelling than ever before in my life and I found out it can be really tiring and can take it out of you,” he said. “So I learned how important it is to be on time and to manage my time as efficiently as possible and to rest when I can.

“There was so much to take in this year and from the driving point of view, as a reserve driver you can see everything the job involves, but until you are actually racing, you do not realise the demands it puts on you, so that was another important lesson. I learned to get my priorities right and not waste my energy elsewhere.”

Ricciardo already knows new team-mate Jean-Eric Vergne ’pretty well’. “We were signed up as part of the Red Bull Junior team on the same day and we were team-mates back then, in the Renault 2.0 series,” he explains. “I spent some time with him at his house in France, going karting together.

“We had a pretty good relationship by the standard of racing driver team-mates. As we progressed, the rivalry got stronger between us, but the important thing is that we respect one another. We both want to beat each other more than anyone else and it’s been like that since we first raced together. It’s a good thing and means we will get the maximum out of the equipment we are given. Next year will be a proper test for both of us. “

The Australian also talked about his plans for the winter. “I have spoken to Laurent (Mekies, Chief Engineer) and we are putting together a pre-season programme now,” he said. “I imagine that very early in the new year I will have to abandon the beautiful Australian summer and head for freezing Italy and get down to business, making sure I am as well prepared as possible.

“My trainer told me I could take it easy until Christmas, but once I heard I got the drive I wanted to go out and bash myself up in the gym.” 

Verne was celebrating the news of his drive by working in the team’s simulator. “I think it’s a good thing to be working today, just a few hours after hearing that I have the drive with Toro Rosso next season,” said the French rookie. “It helps me keep my feet on the ground, but in any case, I love the work, driving either the real car or in the simulator. It also makes a difference knowing that the work I’m doing in the simulator is now for my own benefit on track and not just for other drivers.”

“I was at home in Paris when I got the call,” he said. “I was very excited and keen to tell everyone, but I did not dare phone anyone until the team told me that it had put out the official press release. Once I knew it was out there, I started calling my parents and my family of course and my trainer and others who have helped me along the way. After that, I could not make any calls because people were ringing me nonstop.”

As the 21-year-old revealed, there have been plenty of people who have helped him reach the pinnacle of motorsport. “Obviously, Red Bull is top of the list and without them I would not be in Formula 1; maybe I’d still be in college,” he said. “After that, I have to say that the FFSA, the French motor sport federation has been a great help, backing me ever since I was racing karts. Then I won a Federation championship called the Autosport Academy, so they got me on my way before I became part of the Red Bull programme.”

Vergne is also looking forward to becoming team-mates with Ricciardo once again. “I think it’s fantastic for me to be team-mates with him,” he said. “He’s a great guy and I like him as a friend. We joined the Red Bull programme together so we have known one another for a long time, working together in other series.

“In Formula 1, you only get one team-mate, so you have to make the best of it, working together to do as good a job as possible for the team. We have similar driving styles and we get on well and that will be a positive factor for us next year. Dan could probably have a slight edge over me at first as he has done eleven races this year, but let’s see how it develops, as we have all the winter testing ahead of us before we start racing.

“I know that I have a lot to learn, so I hope I can do that quickly. I am conscious it could be very tough, but I also know that in general, I learn and I adapt very quickly: certainly that was the case in every category that I have raced in so far. Formula 1 is different, tougher than all the rest, but I feel confident.”

Toro Rosso team principal Franz Tost revealed that the driver line-up for 2012 was not finalised until Tuesday, the day before the announcement was made. “Our driver line-up had been under discussion for a long time as it is obviously a vital component of the team’s performance,” he said. “The final decision was taken in a meeting at Red Bull headquarters in Austria on 13 December 2011.”

“We do not wish to discuss our driver contracts, but let’s just say that it is their performance level in the car that is the deciding factor and if they do a good job, this will help their cause in terms of how long they stay with us.”

Tost also said that, although Ricciardo has the edge over Vergne on F1 experience, he will not necessarily be the number one driver. “Given that [Daniel] has some actual F1 racing experience, it would be natural for him to settle into the job more quickly,” he said. “However, Jean-Eric has shown he learns rapidly so I expect him to be on the pace quite soon. It will be important for the team to ensure we give them as many kilometres as possible in winter testing.”

It would be fair to say that many people were rather surprised that both Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari were dropped by the team. Tost explains the reasoning behind the decision:

“Sebastien has been with us for three seasons and Jaime for two and a half,” he said. “Both of them worked hard for the team, doing their very best and achieving some good results. However, Scuderia Toro Rosso’s ethos has always been that of the “rookie training school” and with over two seasons under your belt, you are no longer a rookie.

“In an ideal world, drivers would move from Scuderia Toro Rosso to Red Bull Racing, but there are no vacancies with our sister team right now. It might be seen as a harsh decision, but Formula 1 is a tough environment and Toro Rosso has always been very clear about the principles behind its driver choice.”

“It is a very interesting experience for everyone in the team to work with young drivers and it means you can educate them the way you want,” added Tost, denying that it was frustrating to have to use inexperienced rookies. “Everyone, from the race engineers to the communications people can try and give the new drivers good habits, which they can use for the rest of their career.”

“It is always good to know who your drivers are as early as possible,” he continued. “For one thing, weeks of speculation are usually disruptive to the work of a team. Although we know our two new drivers quite well, it also means they can already start working with the engineers, assimilating information and even having some input into minor details regarding the new car. It also means I can be sure they are taking their winter fitness training very seriously!

Perez-Sala joined the team back in July as an advisor to the new owners - Photo Credit: HRT

After announcing the departure of Colin Kolles yesterday, HRT have moved quickly to appoint a new technical director - Spanish former Formula 1 driver Luis Pérez-Sala takes on the role from today.

Pérez-Sala completed two full seasons at Minardi in 1988 and 1989, with a best result of sixth place at the British Grand Prix in his second year. He also had a spell in Formula 3, Formula 3000 and, after his stint as a Formula 1 driver, returned to Spain to compete in touring cars.

With this latest appointment, and that of driver Pedro de la Rosa, plus the relocation of the team’s headquarters to Spain, HRT are continuing to become very Spanish under the direction of their new owners.

“From the moment we took control of the team last July, the first thing we did was to study and value where we were, whilst also set ourselves a target and establish a strategy,” said Saúl Ruiz de Marcos, team CEO. “We have been working discretely but relentlessly towards this for the last few months. We’ve always made it clear that our priorities were the car, the headquarters and our drivers. The car is evolving, Pedro has been a great asset to the team and we have always wanted to settle the team in Spain and have everybody working under one roof.

“Since we began working with Luis (Pérez-Sala) our connection has been great. Now he takes on a much more key role in the team but the decision was an easy one given his knowledge and his way of doing things. It is the best decision we could make. I would like to also thank Colin (Kolles) and Manfredi (Ravetto) for their work and dedication in these two years that the team has existed and I wish them the very best for the future”.

Pérez-Sala said that he was delighted to be taking on the new job: “This naming is an honor but also a great responsibility,” he said. “I joined the team as an advisor to the new owners and to contribute with my experience in any possible way.

“We had to establish a base from which to grow slowly and we are now seeing the first rewards of that work. But we mustn’t lose our perspective and be aware that assuming responsibilities such as designing the car or moving the headquarters to Spain are huge tasks and we still have a lot of work ahead. We must be patient and keep in mind that we cannot expect to achieve great success in the short term, but we can take a team forward that we can all feel proud of.

“The simple fact that Spain has a team in the pinnacle of motorsports is already a great feat; we’re a part of the G12. And that, apart from being an honor, means a greater development to the structure and everything surrounding it”.

The team are still to confirm their second race driver for 2012.

The drivers get together in Spa-Francorchamps to celebrate the 20th anniversary of Michael Schumacher arriving in Formula 1 - Photo Credit: Mercedes GP

After a summer holiday that seemed to go on for much longer than four weeks, in which Team Lotus boss Tony Fernandes brought a football team and Renault decided that Nick Heidfeld was not performing and replaced him with Bruno Senna, the F1 season finally got back underway with a trip to everyone’s favourite circuit: Spa-Francorchamps.

It was a bit wet on Belgium Grand Prix weekend, but this did not dampen the celebrations for Michael Schumacher, who was marking an impressive 20 years since his debut in the sport.  Mercedes were the only team to complete a lap on slick tyres before the rain came in FP1, allowing Schumacher to top the timesheets in that session.

The remaining practice sessions were heavily affected by rain that weekend, and drivers were also forced to begin the qualifying session on the intermediate Pirelli tyre. Schumacher had an eventful session, albeit a rather short one, when a rear wheel parted company from his Mercedes on its first outing from the pit lane. The seven-time world champion had to start from the back of the grid, meaning that his 20th anniversary race would begin from his lowest ever qualifying session.

If this F1 thing doesn't work, Schumacher could always find work as a barman... - Photo Credit: Mercedes GP

Despite this disappointment, Schumacher had a party in the Mercedes garage that evening, inviting a few friends from up and down the paddock for a beer. The next day, he made up 19 places to finish fifth, ahead of team-mate Nico Rosberg, who had started from the third row of the grid. It was an impressive drive from the 41-year-old.

In other aspects, the season resumed more or less from where it had left off. Sebastian Vettel took pole position on the Saturday in Spa, whilst Hamilton crashed into people.  His first collision of the weekend came during Q2 when Hamilton forcefully, yet legitimately, barged his way past Pastor Maldonado at the end of his final flying lap. The Venezuelan did not take too kindly to this however, and seemed to deliberately clip Hamilton’s car as the pair started their in-laps. Maldonado received a five-place grid penalty for the collision, and was lucky to escape with that.

Jaime Alguersuari impressed during qualifying, taking sixth place on the Spa grid for Toro Rosso. Immediately behind him was Bruno Senna after an equally impressive qualifying performance by the Brazilian.

There was no rain on race day, but that did not prevent Senna from causing a first corner accident. He did brake heavily enough and hit Alguersuari, who was knocked out of the race with broken suspension. Fernando Alonso was also tagged as the effects of the accident rippled out through the field.

The fast starting Rosberg actually overtook leader Vettel coming out of Eau Rouge on the first lap, but was quickly re-passed once Vettel had DRS at his disposal. Webber and Button both made very early pit stops – Webber just to change from the tyres he had blistered during qualifying and for Button, it was to replace a nose that had been damaged on the opening lap. These early pit stops contributed to the duo finishing the race second and third respectively.

Webber pulled off arguably the greatest pass of that season that afternoon. He came up to the back of Alonso as the Spaniard exited the pits and pulled off an audacious move on the entrance to Eau Rouge.

Hamilton’s second collision of the weekend came when he misjudged an overtaking manoeuvre on Kamui Kobayashi. The Brit did not leave enough room when moving across the Sauber, and the two collided. There was a heavy impact with a polystyrene advertising sign and then with a barrier for Hamilton as he recorded his second retirement of the season.

Pastor Maldonado got the last laugh after finishing tenth and taking his one and only point of the year. He will hope that next season, where he will also race for Williams, is a little more fruitful.

Whilst all behind him were jostling for position, Vettel was once again serene at the front. He bounced back from his winless summer to take a seventh win of the season in Spa, and extended his championship lead to 92 points. McLaren and Ferrari were closer to Red Bull than they had been when Vettel was winning everything at the beginning of the year, but it was becoming clear the German would successfully defend his title.

In Spa, Vettel was back on an F1 podium for the first time in over two months - Photo Credit: Vladimir Rys/Getty Images

Italy, scene of Vettel’s first win in Formula 1, was the venue for the final European race of the season. Despite having the slowest car through the speed traps at Monza during qualifying, Vettel still took pole position by nearly a half a second from Lewis Hamilton. He went on to win what was another eventful race.

Vitantonio Liuzzi caused a few problems at the first corner when he ventured onto the grass off the start line. There he lost control of his HRT and slid sideways into the first corner, ending not only his race, but that of Nico Rosberg and Vitaly Petrov, who were busy negotiating the first chicane, when hit side-on by the Italian. Fernando Alonso made a great start from fourth place to steal the early lead from Vettel, but the German quickly took the lead back, and then disappeared off into the distance.

Schumacher had another good race – after an opportune overtaking manoeuvre on Hamilton, the seven-time world champion then kept the McLaren driver for around half the race. At times, the German was treading a fine line when it came to acceptable racing etiquette with his defensive driving. Mercedes Team Principal Ross Brawn had to send his driver some less-than-subtle messages to remind him to play fair with Hamilton, but it was good to see more glimpses of the old Schumacher.

Schumacher leads Hamitlon in Monza - lap after lap after lap after lap... - Photo Credit: Mercedes GP

Button finished third, once again outshining his team-mate, and Alonso took a crowd-pleasing third place ahead of Hamilton. Jaime Alguersuari, for the fourth time in 2011, started the race from P18, and finished in the points. His seventh place in Monza equalled his best result of the season.

Although Vettel won in Italy, Red Bull did not leave Monza entirely satisfied. Mark Webber recorded the team’s first DNF of the season. He made contact with Felipe Massa whilst attempting to overtake the Brazilian. On his way back to the pits, the damaged front wing got stuck underneath his RB7. This somewhat hampered his steering and braking, and he went straight on at Parabolica. A subsequent collision with the barriers brought the Australian’s afternoon to an end.

Singapore was next on the calendar, and this was the first race in which Vettel could actually secure his championship victory. There were a few different scenarios in which he could take the title but, regardless of where Vettel finished, the finishing position of the other contenders would ultimately decide whether he took the title at the season’s only night race.

In qualifying, Vettel took pole position – again – as Red Bull secured their fifth front-row lock-out of the season (by the end of 2011 they notched up seven). Webber had yet another rubbish start on race day though, and Button, who qualified third, was quickly up into second.

Vettel and Button were the class of the field on race day in Singapore, pulling out a huge gap to the rest of the field in the opening laps, and finishing the race nearly half a minute ahead of everyone else. Vettel took another pole-to-lights victory but, with Button finishing second, his championship celebrations had to be delayed.

Further down the field, Lewis Hamilton was in the wars again, and again it was with his favoured sparring partner, Felipe Massa. An impetuous move into Turn 7 – the corner where he crashed into Webber last season –resulted in a shredded rear tyre for Massa, and another drive-through penalty for Hamilton. It ruined the race for both drivers – Hamilton recovered to finish only fifth and Massa had to settle for ninth.

Hamilton comes up to the back of Massa in Singapore - everybody watching in Brazil hides behind the sofa - Photo Credit: Ferrari

Understandably, Massa was a bit annoyed with Hamilton after this, the latest in a series of clashes with the Brit over the course of the season. The tension between the two drivers came to a head in the media pen after the race, where Massa interrupted one of Hamilton’s television interviews. He tapped Hamilton on the shoulder and said, sarcastically, “Nice job”. Hamilton responded by turning around to say “Don’t touch me”. Once again, Vettel’s victory was pushed off the headlines by more tales of Hamilton’s troubles.

The following weekend nobody got any sleep as The Checkered Flag went to the Britcar24 race at Silverstone. The week after that, Formula 1 headed for Japan. For this race, Vettel had much simpler requirements to fulfil to take the title: score just one point, or score no points and hope that Button does not win.

Whilst Hamilton was falling out with other drivers and walking around the paddock looking miserable, Button seemed to be on top form. Despite failing to finish in either the British or German Grand Prix, the 2009 world champion arrived in Japan 19 points ahead of his team-mate, and had just signed a new multi-year McLaren contract.

After the devastating earthquake and tsunami had caused thousands of deaths and massive amounts of damage in Japan back in March, F1 arrived in the country determined to put on a show for the Japanese people, and find ways of contributing to the victims of the disaster. Button, who feels a certain affinity with the country from his time at Honda and through girlfriend Jessica Michibata, said that Japan was really his second home race, and that he particularly wanted a victory in Suzuka.

Button started the weekend well, topping the timesheets in both Friday practice sessions, and doing the same thing on Saturday morning. We dared to dream that someone other than Red Bull would be on pole position that weekend but, of course, such hopes again proved foolish. Sebastian Vettel topped the Q3 timesheets by less than one-hundredth of a second from Button.

Hamilton was third in that session, but was left wondering what might have been as he got out of the car. He failed to set a second flying lap when, in the dying seconds of Q3, he was held up by Webber and Schumacher on his out-lap. He crossed the line to start his second attempt at pole position a second or so after the clock had hit zero. Such was the pace of McLaren that weekend; it would not have been fanciful to suggest that Hamilton would have taken pole position with that final lap.

Kamui Kobayashi delighted home crowds by getting his Sauber through into Q3 and eventually qualifying seventh.

Button celebrates victory in Japan with girlfriend Jessica Michibata - Photo Credit: Vodafone McLaren Mercedes

There was a bit of controversy at the start of the race in Japan when, after Button got a better start than Vettel, the German robustly defended his lead by crossing the straight and effectively barging Button onto the grass. Button suggested via his team radio that Vettel deserved a penalty for that piece of petulant driving, but the stewards disagreed.

Some quick laps around his second stop gave Button the lead later in the race, and Vettel was also overtaken by Fernando Alonso at the next round of stops. The top three finished the race in these positions, and on the podium everybody seemed happy with their efforts – Button had achieved his goal of winning in Japan, Alonso had hauled a relatively uncompetitive Ferrari up into second place, and Vettel was world champion for the second consecutive year.

Further down the field, Lewis Hamilton and Felipe Massa had another coming together. This one was a little more innocuous than the collision in Singapore, with only minor body work damage to each car. The stewards investigated, but decided that this one was merely a racing incident.

Michael Schumacher had another good race at Suzuka, and actually led three laps for the first time since the Japanese Grand Prix in 2006. He eventually finished sixth.

The title race may have come to an end with four races remaining, but the F1 season still had nearly two months of entertainment up its sleeve. The constructors’ championship was still up for grabs (although with Red Bull having a lead of 130 points after Japan, and with only 172 points up for grabs, this championship was pretty much sewn up too), and still to come was the inaugural Indian Grand Prix. What’s more, Hamilton and Massa hadn’t finished crashing into one another yet…

Hamilton gets ready to overtake Massa in Japan - you'll never guess what happened next - Photo Credit: Ferrari

Colin Kolles, the qualified dentist, has extracted himself from HRT - Photo Credit: HRT

HRT have today announced that they have parted company with team principal Colin Kolles.

Kolles will depart the Spanish team on tomorrow (15th December) after two full seasons in the job.

The departure is said to be down to the decision of HRT‘s new owners to move the team headquarters to Spain.

In the short statement released today, HRT thanked Kolles for his work and dedication, and wished him the best in his future projects.

Daniel Ricciardo (left) and Jean-Eric Vernge, Toro Rosso's drivers for 2012, conveniently posed together for this photo at the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi last month - Photo Credit: Andrew Hone/Andrew Hone/Getty Images

Toro Rosso have announced this afternoon that Daniel Ricciardo and Jean-Eric Vergne will be their race drivers for 2012.

Both Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari, who began their F1 careers at the team in 2009, will be forced to look elsewhere if they are to remain on the grid.

The promotion of Ricciardo and Vergne to Toro Rosso next season gives the team their first all-new driver line-up since their 2006 debut.

Both drivers have come through the Red Bull Young Driver Programme, and the decision to give the pair a race seat was made in conjunction with Red Bull.

“I am pleased that we have been able to reach an early decision on our drivers for next year, because it means we can all give our full attention to 2012, without any distractions,” said Franz Tost, the Toro Rosso team principal. “Over the past year, both Daniel and Jean-Eric have proved their worth and I expect them to make a significant contribution to the team’s performance next year.

“Daniel has the benefit of having actually raced in Grands Prix for much of this year, while Jean-Eric proved he could adapt quickly to the demands of driving a Formula 1 car. As they have both worked with the team and its engineers very recently, this should allow us to get up to speed right from the start of winter testing in a couple of months time.

“I must also thank Sebastien Buemi and Jaime Alguersuari for all their hard work over the past three seasons. They have delivered some excellent performances which have helped the team move forward and develop. We wish them well for the future. However, one has to remember that when Scuderia Toro Rosso was established in 2005, it was done so with the intention of providing a first step into Formula 1 for the youngsters in the Red Bull Junior Driver programme. It is therefore part of the team’s culture to change its driver line-up from time to time in order to achieve this goal.”

Ricciardo has already completed eleven grand prix, albeit in an uncompetitive HRT, and drove in some Friday practice sessions with Toro Rosso earlier in the season. The 2010 Formula Renault 3.5 runner-up is relishing the opportunity to drive with the team on a full-time basis.

“This is a really big deal for me and something I have wanted ever since I was driving for Toro Rosso on Friday mornings at the races in the first part of last season,” said the Australian. “To be honest, I am still jumping up and down with excitement at the news. In the second half of 2011 I learned a lot from the people I worked with, racing in eleven Grands Prix and I want to thank them for the opportunity they gave me.  

“I have to say that joining Scuderia Toro Rosso was always my real goal, so a big thank you to Red Bull for giving me this fantastic opportunity and now I can’t wait to get to work once testing begins.”

Like Ricciardo, Jean-Eric Vergne is no stranger to the Red Bull family. He drove for Toro Rosso at a Friday practice session in three of the last four grand prix of last season, and topped the timesheets on all three days of the Young Driver Test in Abu Dhabi last month when testing for Red Bull.

The Frenchman was the 2010 British Formula 3 Champion, taking the series title one year after Ricciardo and, like his new team-mate, has also finished as runner-up in the Renault 3.5 championship.

“First of all, I must thank Red Bull for all their support so far and for believing I am ready to take on the ultimate challenge of racing in Formula 1,” said Vergne. “Christmas has come early for me this year!

“Having driven for them a few times this year and also testing for Red Bull Racing in Abu Dhabi, I definitely feel ready to make the move, even if I know there is a big difference between testing and actually racing. I enjoyed working with the guys at Toro Rosso this year and I can’t wait to be part of the team for real. Sitting on the grid in Melbourne next March cannot come soon enough.”