Vettel got off to a flying start and took the lead on the first lap and went on to win his 10th race this season.

With both the Driver’s and the Constructor’s Championship already won this season Sebastian Vettel and Red Bull still have one record still in their sights.  Vettel has already been likened to fellow countryman Michael Schumacher and if he can win the remaining three races in India, Abu Dhabi and Brazil he will equal Schumacher’s record 13 wins in a single season.

Over the past few seasons the FIA have attempted to address criticism aimed at F1 being dull and races becoming predictable with less overtaking and thrills.  But next season it will be up to the likes of Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso and McLaren and Ferrari to catch the 24 year old Sebastian Vettel and the Red Bull team.

With four races still remaining Sebastian Vettel’s third place finish in the Japanese Grand Prix behind Jenson Button (McLaren) and Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), was enough to clinch his second title.

Mark Webber hasn’t had a bad season but it is his Red Bull team-mate that has a sensational season.  Vettel has won nine of the 15 F1 races so far this year, and managed to start in pole position on no less than 12 pole occasions.  That is an amazing record.

I still believe, given the same car, Lewis Hamilton would have been much closer to Vettel this season.  That said, Jenson Button’s achievements this year have been somewhat overshadowed by Hamilton courting the headlines for all the wrong reasons and Vettel’s sheer brilliance.

2011 F1 Japanese Grand Prix

1  Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) 1:36.568
2   Fernando Alonso (Ferrari)  +00:01.160
3   Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) +00:02.006
4   Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) +00:08.071
5   Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) +00:24.268
6   Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) +00:27.120
7   Felipe Massa (Ferrari) +00:28.240
8   Sergio Perez (Sauber) +00:39.377
9   Vitaly Petrov (Renault) +00:42.607
10 Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) +00:44.322

F1 Drivers Championship 2011

1   Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) 324
2   Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) 210
3   Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 202
4   Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) 194
5   Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 178
6   Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 90
7   Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) 63
8   Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 60
9   Vitaly Petrov (Renault) 36
10 Nick Heidfeld (Renault) 34

Lewis Hamilton started in second place on the grid but made a great start and immediately passed Mark Webber. The race was an exciting one as Hamilton lost and regained the lead twice before winning his 16th F1 Grand Prix.

German Grand Prix
1. Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 1:37:30.334 25
2. Fernando Alonso (Spain) Ferrari  1:37:34.314 18
3. Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull-Renault  1:37:40.122 15

It was Lewis Hamilton’s first victory since the Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai and was made all the sweeter as Sebastian Vettel failed to collect any points.  But with nine races to go in the F1 2011 season, even with the McLarens and Ferraris driving faster than the Red Bulls, it is difficult to see how anyone but Sebastian Vettel is going to be crowned champion come November.

FIA Formula 1 drivers’ world championship
1   Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull-Renault) 216
2   Mark Webber (Red Bull-Renault) 139
3   Lewis Hamilton (McLaren-Mercedes) 134
4   Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) 130
5   Jenson Button (McLaren-Mercedes) 109
6   Felipe Massa (Ferrari) 62
7   Nico Rosberg (Mercedes GP) 46
8   Nick Heidfeld (Renault) 34
9   Vitaly Petrov (Renault) 32
10 Michael Schumacher (Mercedes GP) 32

There’s an interesting article on the BBC website where Mark Hughes suggests McLaren’s return to winning ways is not just down to the individual brilliance of Lewis Hamilton but also has to do with the teams’ choice of tyres.

There was no repeat of the Canadian Grand Prix where a lapse of concentration allowed Jenson Button to overtake Vettel on the last lap.  Yesterday the 23 year-old defending champion won the European Grand Prix with a fautless and somewhat effortless drive to give him his sixth victory of the 2011 season. He led from start to finish and never looked like being overtaken, even with a slight lead over Fernando Alonso and Mark Webber.

BBC1 commentator and former F1 driver, Martin Brundle remarked: “This has again been a study in dominance by Sebastian Vettel. [...] He was using his head, using his tyres better than anyone else and we haven’t seen him put a foot wrong.”

Following the race both Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and McLaren-Mercedes‘ Lewis Hamilton admitted they believe this season’s F1 Drivers Championship is already wrapped up.  Though today, Lewis Hamilton has vowed to continue trying his best to beat the unstoppable Red Bull-Renault driver.

Sebastian Vettel’s victory yesterday extends his lead to 77 points with eight races still to go.

Lewis Hamilton finished in fourth place with Jenson Button in sixth.

F1 Drivers’ World Championship 2011
1   Sebatian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull-Renault 186 points
2    Jenson Button (Great Britain) McLaren-Mercedes 109
3    Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull-Renault 109
4    Lewis Hamilton (Great Britain) McLaren-Mercedes 97
5    Fernado Alonso (Spain) Ferrari 87
6    Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 42
7    Nico Rosberg (Germany) Mercedes 32
8    Vitaly Petrov (Russia) Renault 31
9    Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Renault 30
10 Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes 26

The Montreal circuit is known for serving up exciting formula one grand prix races but no one was quite ready for this astonishing race.

The rain came down and threatened to spoil the whole event as spectators were first denied the excitement from the start.  No rush for the first corner, as the Montreal Grand Prix was started with the safety car.  But as the safety car moved over Lewis Hamilton tried one of his familiar over-taking manoeuvres and ran into and span Mark Webber’s car off the track.  Fortunately, both cars were able to continue.  Webber appeared to see Hamilton and move over giving Hamilton enough space to pass. Hamilton also had a light collision with Michael Schumacher before a crash with Jenson Button had Lewis Hamilton retire from the race with a tyre and rear suspension problem on lap 8.

And then the rain came down even heavier.  The safety car was called upon again and it was decided the race should be stopped due to the poor visibility from the spray.

After a long delay the race was restarted. Sebastian Vettel, who had led the race from the start, looked like claiming yet another victory in this season’s F1 championship.  Jenson Button survived collisions with Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso and entered the pits six times, five for tyre changes and once to serve a drive-through penalty for driving too fast behind the safety car.  The safety car restarted the race four times in all.  After three restarts and 30 laps remaining, Jenson Button looked completely out of contention in last place.

But Vettel made a mistake and was amazingly out manoeuvred and beaten to the flag by Jenson Button who had come from last to first place as he passed the championship leader with half a lap to go to win the Canadian Grand Prix – a race and victory that will be remembered for a very long time.  Sebatian Vettel was second and Mark Webber third. The victory sees Jenson Button move into second place in the F1 2011 Championship.

F1 2011 Championship

1   Sebastian Vettel (Germany) Red Bull-Renault 161 points
2   Jenson Button (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 101
3   Mark Webber (Australia) Red Bull-Renault 94
4   Lewis Hamilton (GB) McLaren-Mercedes 85
5   Fernando Alonson (Spain) Ferrari 69
6   Felipe Massa (Brazil) Ferrari 32
7   Vitaly Petrov (Russia) Renault 31
8   Nick Heidfeld (Germany) Renault 29
9   Michael Schumacher (Germany) Mercedes GP 26
10 Nico Rosberg Germany (Mercedes) GP 26

So what of Lewis Hamilton?  Is he a dangerous driver or just frustrated with not having a car to match his ability?  Some commentators would argue that though Sebastian Vettel is a worthy champion, Hamilton is the best driver in the world.  Furthermore, statistics show that no one overtakes as much as Lewis Hamilton which probably accounts for the amount of collisions he is involved in.

Would Lewis Hamilton be even more prolific than Vettel this season if he was driving a Red Bull?

Ferrari and Puma today announce long-term partnership

Ferrari and Puma today announced a long-term extension to their partnership.

Puma, the global sport-lifestyle brand will continue to be the official licensing partner for Ferrari branded products and the official supplier of team and race wear for Scuderia Ferrari.  On the back of highly successful six year collaboration, this new agreement will see the two companies work together for a further long term period.

Through this extended partnership, Puma will continue to develop Ferrari licensed footwear, apparel and accessories for global sales and distribution.  As the Formula One race calendar is expanding into new markets, the global reputation and profile of the sport continues to grow, resulting in a projected increase in the sales performance of Ferrari licensed product worldwide.  The partnership has become one of the most commercially valuable licensing relationships for both Puma and Ferrari, and the two companies have strengthened their relationship by developing a complete new collection which will be presented at the end of this year.

Puma is the sport-lifestyle brand with the longest heritage in motorsport, and its development of fire retardant technology has revolutionized driver racewear by dramatically reducing weight while maintaining the optimal performance of safety and comfort. Puma will continue to supply Scuderia Ferrari with the latest technological innovations in team and racewear, enabling Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa to compete for the coveted Drivers’ and Constructors’ Championships in one of the lightest and safest race suits in F1.

Luca di Montezemolo, Chairman of Ferrari S.p.A., said:

“We have enjoyed a very successful relationship with Puma over the past six years, and we are very happy that this will continue long term.  Their commitment to product design, development and racewear technology is unrivalled in the industry, and they continue to impress us on all counts.  Clearly licensed apparel and footwear is a key business area for us, and it could not be in better hands.  We look forward to continue working with PUMA for many years to come.”

Jochen Zeitz, Chairman and CEO of Puma AG, said:

“We are delighted to continue and deepen our partnership with Ferrari.  To extend a relationship with the most prestigious brand in the automotive industry and the most popular and successful team in Formula One is of great benefit to us both commercially and reputationally.  The Ferrari licensed product development we have undertaken so far has been very successful, and the plans we have for the coming years are equally exciting.  They are an ideal motorsport partner for us in every respect.”

Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was second with McLaren’s Jenson Button finished third. Alonso & Button had closed in on Vettel’s lead with less than one second between the three of them, but with seven laps remaining Renault’s Vitaly Petrov got caught in a pile-up and crashed into the barriers.

The race was then held up by the safety car for 20 minutes.  When the race reconvened and all three had changed their tyres, it was Sebastian Vettel who finished the fastest and with it extended his lead in the 2011 F1 championship.

F1 2011 Monaco Grand Prix Result

1.  Sebastian Vettel 2:09:38.373

2.  Fernando Alonso     +1.1 secs

3.  Jenson Button +2.3 secs

4.  Mark Webber +23.1 secs

5.  Kamui Kobayashi +26.9 secs

6.  Lewis Hamilton +47.2 secs

7.  Adrian Sutil +1 Lap

8.  Nick Heidfeld +1 Lap

9.  Rubens Barrichello +1 Lap

10.Sebastien Buemi +1 Lap

Once again Lewis Hamilton has found himself in trouble after being controverisal.  After being penalised in the Monaco Grand Prix Hamilton made a comment on his Twitter account which was allegedly a joke suggesting “Maybe it’s because I’m black. That’s what Ali G says.” Lewis Hamilton later apologised for the outburst.

F1 2011 Drivers Championship

1.   S Vettel 143 points

2.   L Hamilton 85

3.   M Webber 79

4.   J Button 76

5.   F Alonso 69

6.   N Heidfeld 29

7.   N Rosberg 26

8.   F Massa 24

9.   V Petrov 21

10. K Kobayashi 19

The next F1 Race is the Canada Grand Prix on 12th June 2011.

Tyre supplier Pirelli made the racing all the more exciting for the fans and teams alike with their specially manufactured F1 rubber, making team strategy a massive player into how many stops are needed to get the maximum effect from tyre changes.

McLaren driver Jenson Button was first into the corner from the start with Sebastian Vettel getting bogged down at the start and going into the corner side by side with Lewis Hamilton. It was Hamilton who got the better of the scrap leaving Vettel to have to fight off the advances of Nico Rosberg in lap one.

Button was first to pit on lap 14 followed down the pit lane by Vettel and much to the embarrassment of the McLaren driver he turned into the Red Bull box, before continuing into his own.

The mistake allowed Vettel to jump Button and as the pit stops unfolded so did the race leaders, making it difficult to keep tabs on who was on what strategy. As time ticked away it was clear that Vettel was on a two stop race and Hamilton on three stops suddenly became the man to watch as he scythed his way through the field after putting a brilliant overtake on his team mate that forced Button to yield.

Button, Nico Rosberg and Fillipe Massa were sucked in and blown out by Hamilton as he clearly sensed his chance of victory with a handful of laps remaining, only Vettel remained in his way and the defending World Champion was defending for his life.

Having been blocked following a move at the hairpin, Hamilton soon caught the German off guard at turn seven with four laps to go and left Vettel in his wake as he scampered off towards his first win of the season.

A spectacular effort from Mark Webber who started the race in 18th position on the grid saw the Australian come into his own in the final part of the race, showing more pace than any of the other drivers as he worked his way through the field overtaking the likes of Alonso, Rosberg and Button with apparent ease.

From eighteenth to third is no mean feat in a race devoid of safety cars and Webber’s heroics at the wheel of the Red Bull were enormous, but on the day it was Lewis Hamilton who stole the show with an electrifying performance of controlled aggressive driving and sublime clinical overtaking throughout the afternoon.

2011 F1 World Championship – China Grand Prix Results

1.     Lewis Hamilton     Britain     McLaren-Mercedes     56     1h36m58.226
2.     Sebastian Vettel     Germany     Red Bull-Renault     56     5.198
3.     Mark Webber     Australia     Red Bull-Renault     56     7.555
4.     Jenson Button     Britain     McLaren-Mercedes     56     10.000
5.     Nico Rosberg     Germany     Mercedes GP     56     13.448
6.     Felipe Massa     Brazil     Ferrari     56     15.840
7.     Fernando Alonso     Spain     Ferrari     56     30.622
8.     Michael Schumacher     Germany     Mercedes GP     56     31.026
9.     Vitaly Petrov     Russia     Renault     56     57.404
10.     Kamui Kobayashi     Japan     Sauber-Ferrari     56     63.273
11.     Paul di Resta     Britain     Force India-Mercedes     56     68.757
12.     Nick Heidfeld     Germany     Renault     56     72.739
13.     Rubens Barrichello     Brazil     Williams-Cosworth     56     90.189
14.     Sebastien Buemi     Switzerland     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     56     90.671
15.     Adrian Sutil     Germany     Force India-Mercedes     55     1 Lap
16.     Heikki Kovalainen     Finland     Lotus-Renault     55     1 Lap
17.     Sergio Perez     Mexico     Sauber-Ferrari     55     1 Lap
18.     Pastor Moldonado     Venezuela     Williams-Cosworth     55     1 Lap
19.     Jarno Trulli     Italy     Lotus-Renault     55     1 Lap
20.     Jerome d’Ambrosio     Belgium     Virgin-Cosworth     54     2 Laps
21.     Timo Glock     Germany     Virgin-Cosworth     54     2 Laps
22.     Vitantonio Liuzzi     Italy     HRT-Cosworth     54     2 Laps
23.     Narain Karthikeyan     India     HRT-Cosworth     54     2 Laps

Off the line it was the same story for Webber who saw most of the pack of cars pass him as he got bogged down at the start with a failed KERS  system, while Vettel made a text book start to the race ensuring a clear track ahead entering turn one.

It was the Lotus-Renault’s of Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov that immediately impressed as the red lights went out at the start of the race, Heidfeld going the long way round both McLaren’s in an extraordinary move at turn one to grab second place, while Petrov’s heroics in the same corner put him into fifth place.

With rain threatening to liven up an already exciting race the first round of pit stops saw Heidfeld get jumped by both McLaren’s and the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, dropping to fifth in the proceedings.

Hamilton began making inroads into Vettel’s lead while Alonso mounted a charge, passing Button with both drivers pulling a substantial lead on Heidfeld.

It was all change again following the second round of pit stops with Button moving back past Alonso and mounting pressure on his team mate Hamilton in a fight for second place.

Hamilton’s pursuit of a podium place was fast disappearing after his third stop for tyres, the harder compound rubber causing all sorts of problems for the Brit and the faster Ferrari of Alonso looming large in his mirrors.

With Hamilton clearly struggling for grip Alonso tucked the Ferrari close in behind the McLaren but was unable to haul his car out of the slipstream quick enough to pass, and caught the rear tyre of his former team mate damaging his own front wing.

With Alonso needing to pit for a new nose cone Heidfeld, Massa and Webber mounted their own final charges on Hamilton who by now was easy meat for the baying pack.

A wonderful overtake on Hamilton with five laps remaining took Heidfeld into third with Webber breathing down the German’s neck as he appeared to at last find some pace in the car with his final set of tyres.

Sebastian Vettel finished another flawless race in first place followed home by Jenson Button and the final podium place going to a richly deserving Nick Heidfeld.

Malaysian Grand Prix 2011 Results:

1.     Sebastian Vettel     Germany     Red Bull-Renault     56     1h37m39.832
2.     Jenson Button     Britain     McLaren-Mercedes     56     3.261
3.     Nick Heidfeld     Germany     Renault     56     25.075
4.     Mark Webber     Australia     Red Bull-Renault     56     26.384
5.     Felipe Massa     Brazil     Ferrari     56     36.958
6.     Fernando Alonso     Spain     Ferrari     56     57.248*
7.     Kamui Kobayashi     Japan     Sauber-Ferrari     56     1m06.439
8.     Lewis Hamilton     Britain     McLaren-Mercedes     56     1m09.957**
9.     Michael Schumacher     Germany     Mercedes GP     56     1m24.896
10.     Paul di Resta     Britain     Force India-Mercedes     56     1m31.563
11.     Adrian Sutil     Germany     Force India-Mercedes     56     1m41.379
12.     Nico Rosberg     Germany     Mercedes GP     55     1 Lap
13.     Sebastien Buemi     Switzerland     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     55     1 Lap
14.     Jaime Alguersuari     Spain     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     55     1 Lap
15.     Heikki Kovalainen     Finland     Lotus-Renault     55     1 Lap
16.     Timo Glock     Germany     Virgin-Cosworth     54     2 Laps
17.     Vitaly Petrov     Russia     Renault     52     DNF, Accident

The incident involving Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton led to both drivers being penalised by the race stewards. Both drivers were given a twenty second time penalty on their finishing position, while this did not affect the outcome for Alonso* who retained his sixth place, Hamilton** was not so lucky and slipped to eighth in the final reckoning.

Clocking a blistering pace in the qualifying session, F1 fans would have been hoping that in race trim at least one the chasing pack might have been able to make a race out of it once the Australian Grand Prix got underway.

Several drivers attempted to keep pace with Vettel from the off, but realistically only Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren appeared to have anything near the pace required, while Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and even Vettel’s team mate Mark Webber endured awful starts to the race and were never able to make up anywhere close to the time lost on the in the remainder of the race.

To his credit Vettel once again looked imperious leading from the front and drove a perfect race to clinch his first haul of maximum points in 2011.

Hamilton was the happiest of the other runners, finishing the race in second place and leaving the former World Champion driver believing that he is in with a shot at this years championship with the improvements that have been made to the Mclaren in recent weeks.

Vitaly Petrov was the surprise driver of the day, finishing on the third step of the podium comfortably ahead of the chasing Ferrari of Fernado Alonso who had too little too late to bother the Renault-Lotus driver.

Webber and Button made up the top six finishers of the day, with Sebastian Beumi in the Toro Rosso finishing in a creditable eighth place behind Phillipe Massa.

The two Sauber drivers, Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi originally finished the race in seventh and eighth respectively, but both drivers were disqualified after being deemed to have infringed regulations relating to the uppermost wing element on the car.

Sauber have announced that they will appeal against the ruling today, but Force India new British driver Scott di Resta will be hoping that the disqualification will be upheld enabling the rookie to claim a point scoring tenth place on his debut.

Australia Grand Prix results:

1. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 58laps 1hr 29m 30.259s
2. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +00m 22.2s
3. Vitaly Petrov Russia Renault-Renault +00m 30.5s
4. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 31.7s
5. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +00m 38.1s
6. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes +00m 54.3s
7. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +01m 25.1s
8. Sebastien Buemi Switzerland Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
9. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes +1 lap
10. Paul di Resta Britain Force India-Mercedes +1 lap

11. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
12. Nick Heidfeld Germany Renault-Renault +1 lap
13. Jarno Trulli Italy Lotus-Renault +2 laps
14. Jerome d’Ambrosio Belgium Virgin-Cosworth +4 laps
15. Timo Glock Germany Virgin-Cosworth +9 laps

Rtd Rubens Barrichello Brazil Williams-Cosworth 48 laps completed
Rtd Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 22 laps completed
Rtd Heikki Kovalainen Finland Lotus-Renault 19 laps completed
Rtd Michael Schumacher Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 19 laps completed
Rtd Pastor Maldonado Venezuela Williams-Cosworth 94 laps completed

Dsq Sergio Perez Mexico Sauber-Ferrari +01m 05.8s
Dsq Kamui Kobayashi Japan Sauber-Ferrari +01m 16.8s