Vettel and Red Bull redefine perfection

Sebastian Vettel climbed slowly up on to the nose of his Red Bull and, for the first time this year, raised two of those trademark index fingers in the air. That's two to indicate he is now a double world champion - the youngest in Formula 1 history.

It was appropriate, then, that the first man to congratulate him in person after the race was the driver who previously held that honour - Fernando Alonso, who finished second to McLaren's Jenson Button and ahead of Vettel in a captivating Japanese Grand Prix.

Third place was more than enough for Vettel to seal the crown with four races still to go. And if he seemed less emotional than he did after winning his first title in last year's nail-biting finale in Abu Dhabi that is almost certainly because this one has seemed inevitable since as long ago as the first qualifying session of the season in Melbourne's Albert Park seven months ago.

That was when the sheer, breathtaking pace of his Red Bull car - and the German's mastery of it - first became apparent.

What followed has been domination of the like not seen since Michael Schumacher and Ferrari in 2002 and '04 - the last time an extravagantly talented German was in a team whose resources, applied with ruthless efficiency, outstripped their rivals', and whose focus was primarily on their lead driver.

Vettel has won nine of 2011's 15 races so far, and taken 12 pole positions. His career victory total stands at 19. He could very well be on pole for and win every remaining race this season, which would raise his career wins total to 23.

That would leave only Juan Manuel Fangio, Niki Lauda, Jim Clark, Alonso, Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher ahead of him. Rarefied company indeed.

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Many of his victories this year have followed a simple formula - put the fastest car in the field on pole, use its pace in the early laps to build the gap required to ensure he cannot be passed by a rival at the pit stops, then ease off and maintain that advantage.

It was a strategy demanded by this year's new-look F1, for which new supplier Pirelli were asked to design deliberately delicate tyres to provoke better racing and more pit stops.

The German was praised for understanding very early on how to get the best out of those tyres. Undoubtedly he did, especially compared to team-mate Mark Webber, who also bore the brunt of the Red Bull's early-season reliability struggles with their new Kers power-boost system.

But it's impossible to judge whether Vettel was doing this better than leading drivers in other cars - and the main reason he was able to approach races in the way he generally did was that rivals McLaren and Ferrari produced cars that were not on a comparable level to the Red Bull.

How much better than its rivals was the Red Bull? That no other car has been on pole position pretty much sums it up - not even Schumacher and Ferrari managed that.

It was Vettel's running start to the season that killed his rivals - after six wins and two close second places in the first eight races, a second title already looked inevitable.

The Red Bull's advantage was often less dramatic in races than in qualifying - largely because of the tyres - and it was not always the fastest race car. He had to work for his wins in Spain and Monaco, where luck also played a major part in him beating Alonso and Button.

After that incredible early run, though, a mid-season wobble of sorts did give his rivals hope that the championship battle was not completely over.

Vettel was beaten by a rampant Alonso in Britain, following a one-off ban of a key aerodynamic technology called off-throttle blowing of the diffuser. And he produced comparatively weak performances in Germany and Hungary, although still finished fourth and second.

It was enough for Alonso, Button, Hamilton and Webber to head into the summer break still harbouring hopes of making a fight of it.

These were crushed in merciless style by consecutive victories in Belgium and Italy, perhaps Vettel's best of the season so far. After that, another win in Singapore took him to the brink, and the inevitability duly became reality at Suzuka on Sunday.

The weekend in Italy provided an illustration in microcosm of the foundations of Vettel's championship victory.

His breathtaking single-lap pace was demonstrated by qualifying on pole by a massive margin, and his sky-high confidence - founded on that speed - informed what team insiders admit was a risky decision to run a short seventh gear.

It was made in the pursuit of ultimate pace, but Vettel knew that the straight-line speed deficit it would give him could lead to a very difficult afternoon if he lost the lead from pole position - as indeed happened thanks to an electrifying start by Alonso.

Vettel then demonstrated his confidence in a very different way with a stunning overtaking move - around the outside of one of F1's toughest competitors at 200mph, with two wheels on the grass.

The Monza weekend also underlined how much Red Bull's performance this year has been rooted in a less glamorous, but no less important, requirement for F1 success - hard work.

On pole by half a second, Vettel was still at the track at 11pm the night before the race, poring over the data with his engineers, ensuring no stone was left unturned in their endeavour to win the following day.

While Red Bull had the fastest car, benefiting from chief technical officer Adrian Newey's unrivalled genius for aerodynamic design, their teamwork and work ethic were unsurpassed.

At the same time, there were a number of races - one thinks of Australia, Monaco, Canada, Belgium, Italy, Japan - where McLaren could have made life harder for Vettel only for the team or a driver (usually Hamilton) to make a mistake.

Vettel, though, rode his advantage in style to put together one of the most impressive seasons by a driver for years.

That he did so in a golden age in terms of depth of talent is all the more noteworthy. But while the combination of Vettel and Red Bull has been peerless in 2011, it would be wrong to assume the world champion is without rival as a driver.

While he is clearly out of the top drawer, it remains the case that, until he goes up against another great in an equal car, his absolute potential is hard to judge.

And an unscientific straw poll has revealed that most in F1 still believe Alonso to be the world's best driver, even if Vettel is widely thought of now as next in line.

Despite Button's superb season, Hamilton continues to be regarded as the other member of the 'big three' but his shaky season has meant his stock has fallen, and Vettel's stunning qualifying performances mean many now consider him, not the Englishman, to be the fastest man on the grid over one lap.

Put someone that good in a car as fast and reliable as this year's Red Bull, and have it run by a team as professional and slick as they have been, and the result is inevitable.

For the others, the gauntlet has been well and truly thrown down.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/10/vettel_and_red_bull_redefine_p.html

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Stats, speed and success spur on Vettel

It is an open secret in Formula 1 that Sebastian Vettel, who became the youngest double world champion in history this year, is motivated at least partly by statistics.

The Red Bull driver himself, though, has been a little shy about admitting it so far - but on Wednesday he went as far as he ever has towards acknowledging that, yes, he would not mind having a crack at the all-time records.

Until Vettel's remarkable run of success, particularly this year, Michael Schumacher's landmarks of seven titles, 91 wins and 68 pole positions looked unbeatable.

But Vettel, at the age of 24, already has 20 victories and 27 poles, as well as those two titles. Suddenly, Schumacher's records don't look quite so impregnable after all.

Sebastian Vettel

Vettel on his 2011: "Seasons like this don't happen too often... we want to enjoy it." Photo: Getty

"I like statistics," Vettel said, "as in I care about the sport, I know the sport, I know ex-F1 drivers, the big names, and know a little bit the numbers according to the drivers.

"The only thing I like from time to time is to see if my name is somewhere there. I don't really set myself a target of wins and poles, I am not racing for statistics, so I know some numbers, but not all. I love Formula 1, I always did as a small kid and that hasn't changed."

A little later, the mask seemed to slip a little further when someone asked him who was the youngest three-time world champion.

"I don't know," Vettel replied. "Michael is the youngest seven-time world champion."

So that's the ambition?

"That is a long, long way to go," Vettel said. "Obviously we have had two phenomenal seasons and sometimes then you get over-excited and start to talk about those things.

"But really we know how much it takes to win a race, and a whole championship. That really puts things in perspective. It's a long, long way. I don't think you can set the target to say I want to win seven world titles. What Michael achieved in many ways was outstanding."

Vettel was talking at Red Bull Racing's Milton Keynes headquarters, where a news conference on Wednesday morning preceded a private team party in the afternoon.

Vettel - and Red Bull - have every reason to celebrate, after putting together one of the most extraordinary seasons in F1 history.

With 16 races down and three still to go, Vettel has won 10 races, taken 13 pole positions, finished on the podium in every race but one (when he was fourth) and tied up the title in Japan 10 days ago with four races to spare.

But he admitted that it took the most mundane of things for the fact that he was a double world champion to finally sink in properly.

He arrived home in Switzerland on Monday from the Korean Grand Prix to find that his heating had broken. "It was quite cold, so I put the fire on," he said, laughing. "I won't go into details."

Regardless, he said, "I really enjoyed the moment of opening the door, going into the house, knowing what we have achieved. It's those small things that really make you realise what has happened.

"I really like it when nothing is happening, to enjoy the peace, to enjoy time. I didn't do anything special on Monday - just surfing the internet, sleeping, just enjoy the peace and no stress. That's when things really start to sink in.

"It's a nice feeling, because you know all the hours you have spent in the gym, on the race track, it paid off."

Vettel was in a sunny mood on Wednesday - as he so often is. But there was no mistaking the underlying steeliness that is part of what makes him such a formidable competitor.

Anyone who thought his ambition might have been dulled by such towering success so young will need to recalibrate their expectations.

Can you be as dominant next season, he was asked.

"We try," he said. "You never want to come back and do worse than you have done. We set the benchmark very high, and it has been a special season for both sides.

"I had a very good run and the team had a phenomenal run, reliability was great - we've had no technical failures so far. We'll see. We are working hard and we are extremely motivated."

Sebastian Vettel celebrates in front of photographers in Korea

Sebastian Vettel "drove perfectly" all season, according to Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Photo: Getty

None of their rivals at McLaren and Ferrari are under any illusions that Vettel and Red Bull will be anything other than formidably tough to beat next year.

After a 2010 season in which, as Vettel has admitted himself, a series of mistakes made winning his first world title much more difficult than it should have been, he and the team have moved on to another level.

He did make mistakes this year. One thinks of the half-spin on the last lap in Canada that handed victory to a charging Jenson Button. Or another spin when trying to stay in touch with the leaders in Germany, his least competitive race of the season. Or his couple of crashes in Friday practice sessions.

But none of them badly affected him, and overall he "drove perfectly", as Ferrari's Fernando Alonso, the previous youngest double champion, described it.

Vettel looked at the new form F1 took on this season with deliberately high-wear Pirelli tyres and the DRS overtaking aid, realised what was needed to succeed in races, and ruthlessly used the best car on the grid to crush his rivals.

Race after race, he took pole, used the car's inherent pace advantage to build the lead he needed to protect himself at the first pit stops while taking only what he needed to out of the tyres, and held the cushion for the rest of the race.

This strategy formed the bedrock of his season, and generally worked even on the few occasions when the Red Bull was not the fastest car in the race.

His driving was matched by a team that, operationally as well as in terms of the performance of its car, was in a league of its own.

"After every race, I get a print out of the race results, the championship standings and everything and the first thing I do is rip the championship standings off, because the only thing that matters is what we did on that day," Vettel said.

"If you get beaten, you have to accept it. You shouldn't like it, because then you would be in the wrong sport, but there are other very smart people and other very good drivers, and you never get beaten for no reason.

"This year some of the racing has been close, but if there was a chance to open a gap and benefit from it for the rest of the race we were always in a very strong position and many times used that to go for that.

"But I don't think it's fair to say we had a massive advantage all year long. Seasons like this don't happen too often and that's why we want to enjoy it.

"I am extremely proud and to see my name alongside some of the great names is really special. As much as the first world title, the second one people can't take away from you. Many things in life come and go but this will stay forever."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/10/stats_speed_and_success_spur_o.html

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NASCAR Tickets - Stewart Makes History as Million Dollar Man

It was supposed to be Jeff Gordon's record-breaking race. He set himself up for the victory of a lifetime, attempting to break a tie with Dale Earnhardt as the first driver ever to win the Sprint Cup All-Star Race for the fourth time. In Saturday night's big event, Gordon was in first place after the third segment of the race at Lowe's Motor Speedway.

All that was left was a 10-lap shootout to close out the $1 million deal, but just when it seemed that Gordon's No. 24 Chevrolet was golden, attackers Kyle Busch and Ryan Newman came around both sides of the car, causing Gordon to spin out and crash nose-first into the outside wall, ending his first-place reign.

Instead of Gordon making history in Saturday night's All-Star Race, the NASCAR driver who put his name in the books was Tony Stewart, the near 38-year-old who won his very first All-Star Race and became the second driver in NASCAR history to win the race as a driver/owner, following suit of 1994's All-Star winner Geoff Bodine. Stewart zoomed into Victory Lane after passing Matt Kenseth in Turn 2 of Lap 99 (of 100) in the race, making a comment after the race about Kenseth letting him pass, saying, "I can't believe he gave me the bottom. I just cannot believe he gave me the bottom. But I'll take it. Matt is a guy you can trust. We got to second there, got by the No. 18 [Kyle Busch] and I thought, 'All right, we have a shot at this thing.'"

Stewart went on to elaborate about the state of his car, which got a last minute fix-up, saying, "We weren't that good until the last run. [Crew chief] Darien Grubb, I mean he made some awesome calls there at the end to get us where I could drive that thing the way I could. Man, it was fast."

The Sprint Cup All-Star Race ended with Stewart snagging first place honors, with Matt Kenseth in second, Kurt Busch in third, Denny Hamlin in fourth and Carl Edwards in fifth place. Stewart's big win was his first of the season, though he currently sits in second place in NASCAR Sprint Cup driver standings (as of the Darlington race). Last weekend's All-Star race also marked the first win for No. 14 under his newly-minted and owned team Stewart-Haas Racing, which he helped jumpstart in 2009.

Stewart, who was born in Columbus, Indiana, grew up in the racing capital of the country, starting out on go karts and even winning a World Karting Association championship in 1987. The aspiring driver tried his hand with IndyCars in the early '90s and eventually made the switch to stock cars after burning rubber in the IRL and even earning the nickname 'Smoke,' joining the NASCAR Sprint Cup Series in 1999 for Joe Gibbs Racing. In his first NASCAR season, Stewart took home Rookie of the Year honors, also finishing fourth in the series and winning races at Richmond, Phoenix and Homestead, becoming the first series rookie to take wins at three Sprint Cup races.

Since then, the name Tony Stewart has been ringing loud and true in the NASCAR circuit, and No. 14 has posted several big wins over the years, winning the Sprint Cup Championship in both 2002 and 2005. In 2009, Stewart left Joe Gibbs Racing to start his own team, Stewart-Haas Racing, and has since been just as consistent as ever.

Now that he's won his first race of the season (albeit not one for points) Tony Stewart is raring and ready to go. Will he continue this hot streak and take first place standings points away from Jeff Gordon in the near future? Find out with NASCAR tickets, your chance to get in on the action. Tickets are available now online.

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Source: http://www.articlespan.com/article/278359/nascar-tickets-stewart-makes-history-as-million-dollar-man

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NASCAR Tickets - Yates Racing's Kvapil Loses Ride

Even a season-best 18th place finish couldn't keep Yates Racing's Travis Kvapil and his No. 28 Golden Corral Ford Fusion in the running of the 2009 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series after last week's Food City 500 at the Bristol Motor Speedway, and the Tennessee race was likely Kvapil's last race of the season. The 39th ranked Sprint Cup driver has had incredible difficulty keeping a sponsor this year, and Yates Racing had to make the tough choice this week to pull the plug on his 2009 racing career, suspending operations for this Wisconsin native's car in the wake of hard financial times.

Geoff Smith, president of Roush Fenway Racing (also partner with Yates Racing,) made a statement this week regarding the Kvapil decision, saying, "It's difficult to be in a situation when you have to deal with the consequences of the economy. We're in a situation where there's no extra cash to support running an unsponsored car for any period of time." While this means that the near future isn't looking so bright for Kvapil, Smith did say that "if the economy picks up later in the season maybe we'll be able to pick up something for that team."

Travis Kvapil had a hard break this year after failing to gain substantial backing in the form of a sponsor. Yates Racing and Roush put as much money as the teams could into Kvapil's car, but the demands to keep this stock car running were ultimately more than the team could handle, leaving No. 28 behind. Yates and Roush have been scrambling for sponsorship money for their drivers for a while now, and speculation is also starting to arise about other Roush drivers like Carl Edwards and Matt Kenseth, as Edwards is currently sponsored by the ailing Aflac and Kenseth's deal with DeWalt expires after this season.

This frustrating situation is tough for the ousted Travis Kvapil to stomach, yet the NASCAR driver is still being optimistic about his Cup Series run in 2009, saying, "We've just had bad luck [in 2009] and haven't had the results to show for it. [Sunday] we ran in the Top 15 most of the day but got the car a little bit off on one run and that hurt us and got us a lap down. I was hoping for a little bit better result to give us something more to sell, but I thought overall we did an OK job. It was fun to drive up through there and race hard. I leave here knowing in every race so far we've had competitive racecars - but it's gonna be a bummer when we realize it might be the end."

While the door has (temporarily?) closed for Travis Kvapil, Yates Racing's other driver Paul Menard is still in the running to rev his engine on race days to come, thanks in part due to his hefty sponsorship with his father's own chain of Menards home improvement stores. Menard is currently ranked 38th in the Sprint Cup Series, and now that Kvapil is gone he has the chance to fend off his position even more. Even though Travis Kvapil has been cut from the NASCAR circuit, the racing must go on, and NASCAR tickets are available now online.

This article is sponsored by StubHub. StubHub is a leader in the business of selling NASCAR tickets, sports tickets, concert tickets, theater tickets and special events tickets.

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Jenson Button seeks win at second home

Jenson Button arrived in Japan as the last man standing in the fight to stop Sebastian Vettel winning the 2011 title.

To keep his title hopes alive, the McLaren driver has to win this weekend and hope Red Bull's championship leader fails to score a single point.

It is a task almost certainly doomed to fail and Button joked in Suzuka that Vettel was the only person still saying he had a chance to steal a second title from under his nose.

Vettel, who is seeking a third straight pole-to-flag victory in Japan, is the favourite this weekend after taking a mind-boggling 12th pole of the season in Suzuka, but Button lines up second after two days in which McLaren have looked surprisingly competitive.

Button's hopes of victory are very real and, regardless of the championship situation, the 2009 champion has both professional and personal reasons to want to perform well on Sunday.

The day after stepping off the plane from Singapore, where he finished second, Button and his race engineer Dave Robson got to work plotting how to win for the first time at Suzuka.

"I've always loved racing here," Button, whose best finish in Suzuka is third for Honda in 2004, told BBC Sport. "It would mean a lot to me to win here.

"The first year I came here was in 1996 when I raced karts and that was an unbelievable circuit, like the F1 track. Then the first time I came here in Formula 1 in 2000, I qualified fifth and I've finished every year I raced here in Suzuka.

"It's a very special race - I remember watching Ayrton Senna and Alain Prost racing round here wheel-to-wheel - and it does feel like a second home race for me."

Jessica Michibata and Jenson Button

Button has been dating Japanese-born Jessica Michibata for three years. Photo: Reuters

McLaren also want Button, or team-mate Lewis Hamilton, to finish as runner-up in the championship and are determined to hold off Ferrari to finish a more lucrative second in the team standings.

With five races left to go, Button leads a compelling battle for second from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Red Bull's Mark Webber, and is 17 points ahead of Hamilton.

Beyond points and position, Button, a former Honda driver, is also driven by emotional incentives, not least that he is dating Japanese-born model Jessica Michibata.

"I have a lot of very good connections," said Button, who has in Japanese kanji symbols 'Ichi Ban' - which translates as number one - inked onto his ankle.

"I worked with a Japanese team for seven years, I've had a Japanese girlfriend for the last three and I love this place. I spend a lot of time here in Japan, Kyoto and Hiroshima. I've just been down the coast to a fishing port that has the most amazing sushi.

"I really enjoy the Japanese culture, the food and how respectful the people are and how they welcome other people in. The karaoke is great too - my missus would go to karaoke during the day if she had an hour free, which seems strange to us in Britain!"

In March, while Button was testing in Spain, Michibata was sheltering under a table as an earthquake shook Tokyo.

The after-effects of the tsunami and earthquake, which devastated many coastal parts of island country and killed more than 15,000 people, is another reason why Button wants to race well in front of his Japanese fans.

A Japanese fan of Jenson Button

"It was a really horrible feeling as I couldn't get hold of her," added Button, who, along with Hamilton, is auctioning his race helmet to raise funds for a Japanese charity. "But it was nothing like what the people on the ground were going through.

"Having that connection to Japan it's difficult but I think the Japanese people have shown us how strong they are and how they pull together. They had people going through the rubble and finding things that were worth money and handing them in for charity. I've got a lot of respect for the Japanese people and I think we can learn a lot from them."

Button is hugely popular in Japan and as you wander among the passionate fans in Suzuka many of them are wrapped in British flags or with 'Button' painted on their cheeks and even finger nails.

The English racer might not be able to stop Vettel taking the title in Suzuka but if he can push the German hard for the victory, as he did in Singapore, his efforts will not go unnoticed.

"Japanese people love to celebrate," he added. "Hopefully we can put on a good show for them this weekend and plant a good memory."

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/sarahholt/2011/10/jenson_button_seeks_win_at_sec.html

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Hamilton on path to redemption

Lewis Hamilton talked about using the Korean Grand Prix to "redeem" himself after a turbulent series of races. It was a strong choice of word, reflective it seems of a man somewhat battle-weary after a long, trying season. But if redemption was what he was after, he went a long way towards achieving it in Yeongam.

Unable to keep pace with Sebastian Vettel's winning Red Bull, Hamilton drove a virtually flawless defensive race, holding off the faster car of the German's team-mate Mark Webber for the duration.

His one mistake came on the first lap, when after converting pole position into a lead at the first corner, Hamilton admitted that he "didn't position my car very well" on the run down to Turn Four. "I didn't realise there was a car-length gap on the side," he said.

It was all the invitation Vettel needed to take the lead and drive off into a race of his own, taking his 10th win of the season to keep alive the possibility of equalling Michael Schumacher's all-time record of 13 wins in a season. Red Bull's one-three sealed a constructors' title that was as inevitable as the drivers' crown Vettel won in Japan a week ago.

After a taking a superb pole position on Saturday, Hamilton had hopes of winning in Korea. But the context of Sunday afternoon suggests that he achieved that position at the front of the grid more through sheer driving bravado than any car advantage.

It was certainly a stunning lap - the car dancing on the edge, alive in Hamilton's hands, in a way it has not been in recent races.

But come race day, Vettel's Red Bull was untouchable. He drove it like he has so many others this year, using just enough of the car's pace to pull out a comfortable gap without stressing the tyres and controlling the race from there.

Just how much pace Vettel had in hand became clear on the last lap when, just for fun, he went for the fastest lap of the race. The result was a time a massive 0.854 seconds faster than the mark Hamilton had set the lap before.

As Hamilton himself said ruefully: "Either way, he was going to overtake me." The other Red Bull, though, did not.

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McLaren team boss Martin Whitmarsh described Hamilton's performance as "one of his great, great drives".

"When you have a car behind you which is frankly quicker and has DRS," Whitmarsh said, "to be able to hold on and hold on like that was a truly brilliant drive."

In truth, it is unlikely to be remembered alongside some of Hamilton's true landmark performances - among which are his two wins this season. Whitmarsh, it should be remembered, is trying to boost the confidence of a man going through a difficult period. But it was certainly of the highest calibre.

Struggling with understeer - the handling characteristic Hamilton dislikes most - he did not put a foot wrong in defending from Webber for the entire 55 laps.

The closest it got was after their second pit stops on lap 34, when Webber made a determined challenge into Turn Four, and the two diced it out for the remainder of the lap. Hamilton used all his peerless race craft to hang on.

Hamilton's subdued mood after qualifying caused much comment and although he was not exactly jumping around after the race, he did at least afford himself a smile.

"Especially with the amount of pressure I was being put under," he said, "it's very easy to lock up and make mistakes, to go wide but I didn't do that once so I'm very, very happy in terms of that performance.

"The last six races I've not been anywhere near that position so it feels good to be back."

It has, as has been well documented, been a difficult season for Hamilton, but the last few races have been particularly tough for him.

After his victory in Germany, hard-won in a race-long battle with Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and Webber, Hamilton again led for much of the Hungarian Grand Prix a week later, only for two incorrect tyre choices to leave him down in fourth at the flag, as his team-mate Jenson Button won.

But it was after the summer break that things really began to unravel.

In Belgium, he tangled with Williams's Pastor Maldonado in qualifying and then crashed out of the race after colliding with Sauber's Kamui Kobayashi when, in hindsight, he could have got at least a podium finish, and perhaps even won.

That led to a subdued performance in Italy, in which he spent a harrowing time trying to break Schumacher's aggressive defence after making a mistake in letting the German pass him at a restart.

Singapore was another eventful weekend, featuring contretemps with Ferrari's Felipe Massa on and off the track in both qualifying and race.

In this period, Button had driven consistently superbly, and Hamilton's team-mate left Singapore having finished second to Vettel and as the only one of the Red Bull driver's rivals still in with a mathematical chance of stopping him winning the title.

And then came Japan. McLaren had the fastest car at Suzuka and Hamilton missed a chance to take pole when he failed to get round in time to start a second qualifying lap before the session ended and he lined up third, behind Vettel and Button.

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Hamilton was quickly up to second behind Vettel on the first lap, but from there he went backwards, his race ruined by high tyre wear, and he finished fifth as Button won.

The suspicion is that this disparity between the McLaren drivers' performances in Japan is what explains Hamilton's behaviour in Korea, particularly after qualifying.

This is a man who believes strongly that he is the fastest driver in the world - and also that both he and Alonso are better than Vettel.

Already he has had to watch Vettel win two world titles in the fastest car - titles Hamilton believes he would have won had he been in that car.

Yet at Suzuka, Button, it could be said, was conclusively, out-and-out faster than Hamilton for the first time ever in a fully dry race - at arguably the world's greatest drivers' circuit. That will have taken some swallowing.

In that context, Hamilton's remarks about "redeeming myself" make more sense. And the seemingly innocuous comment after the race that he was "happy to be the one who got the most points for the team" takes on more meaning.

With the drivers' title settled, some have said, this season is effectively dead with three races still to go.

In fact, it's quite the reverse - out there on the race track, there remains an awful lot at stake.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/10/post_3.html

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Marussia Virgin MVR-02 Launch pictures (7th of February)

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-zM-_w3QnMxc/TWDmQmpWvDI/AAAAAAAAHJc/N8PsrxU3WAs/s1600/jpg_9dcaf017%2B-%2BCopy.jpg

Marussia Virgin Racing unveiled their 2011 challenger at BBC Television Centre in London on 7th February 2011.

The Virgin MVR-02 is designed by Nick Wirth for the 2011 Formula One season. Like its predecessor, the Virgin VR-01, the MVR-02 is designed entirely with computational fluid dynamics (CFD), with Nick Wirth's Wirth Research design studio doubling their CFD capacity ahead of the 2011 season.

As compared to its predecessor, as well as many of the current F1 challengers , the new MVR-02 presents a lower nose design, while also featuring a tighter rear section. As far as the livery for the 2011 F1 season goes, Virgin's partnership with Marussia Motors reflects in a slightly different color scheme, with some white added to the front of the car's nose.The air intake on the front nose has been designed to resemble the one on Marussia's road car, the Marussia B2.

Technical specifications

Chassis carbon-fibre construction monocoque and nosebox
Suspension (front) carbon-fibre wishbones with titanium flexure joints, aluminium alloy uprights, Penske dampers
Suspension (rear) as front
Engine Cosworth CA2011 2,400 cc (146.5 cu in) 90° V8, limited to 18,000 RPM, naturally-aspirated, mid-mounted
Transmission Seven-speed semi-automatic gearbox with reverse gear, Aluminium construction, "seamless shift", electronically controlled hydraulic differential
Weight 640 kg (1,411 lb) (including driver)
Fuel BP
Tyres Pirelli P Zero

BBS Wheels (front and rear): 13"

Link

Virgin MVR-02 ? Exhaust Positioning (Scarbsf1's Blog)
"One detail of note on the car was the exhaust system. Already the buzz word at every launch, the exhaust mates the simpler diffuser to help produce downforce. In Virgins case they have extended the exhausts to blow over the diffuser. Nick Wirth did confirm a Renault style front exit was simulated, but the more conventional approach has been adopted on the launch car at least."

Marussia Virgin MVR-02 Launch pictures




Photos Š Marussia Virgin Racing

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Air Guard Ford Regan Smith Furniture Row Chevrolet Casey Mears

Vettel and Red Bull redefine perfection

Sebastian Vettel climbed slowly up on to the nose of his Red Bull and, for the first time this year, raised two of those trademark index fingers in the air. That's two to indicate he is now a double world champion - the youngest in Formula 1 history.

It was appropriate, then, that the first man to congratulate him in person after the race was the driver who previously held that honour - Fernando Alonso, who finished second to McLaren's Jenson Button and ahead of Vettel in a captivating Japanese Grand Prix.

Third place was more than enough for Vettel to seal the crown with four races still to go. And if he seemed less emotional than he did after winning his first title in last year's nail-biting finale in Abu Dhabi that is almost certainly because this one has seemed inevitable since as long ago as the first qualifying session of the season in Melbourne's Albert Park seven months ago.

That was when the sheer, breathtaking pace of his Red Bull car - and the German's mastery of it - first became apparent.

What followed has been domination of the like not seen since Michael Schumacher and Ferrari in 2002 and '04 - the last time an extravagantly talented German was in a team whose resources, applied with ruthless efficiency, outstripped their rivals', and whose focus was primarily on their lead driver.

Vettel has won nine of 2011's 15 races so far, and taken 12 pole positions. His career victory total stands at 19. He could very well be on pole for and win every remaining race this season, which would raise his career wins total to 23.

That would leave only Juan Manuel Fangio, Niki Lauda, Jim Clark, Alonso, Jackie Stewart, Nigel Mansell, Ayrton Senna, Alain Prost and Michael Schumacher ahead of him. Rarefied company indeed.

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Many of his victories this year have followed a simple formula - put the fastest car in the field on pole, use its pace in the early laps to build the gap required to ensure he cannot be passed by a rival at the pit stops, then ease off and maintain that advantage.

It was a strategy demanded by this year's new-look F1, for which new supplier Pirelli were asked to design deliberately delicate tyres to provoke better racing and more pit stops.

The German was praised for understanding very early on how to get the best out of those tyres. Undoubtedly he did, especially compared to team-mate Mark Webber, who also bore the brunt of the Red Bull's early-season reliability struggles with their new Kers power-boost system.

But it's impossible to judge whether Vettel was doing this better than leading drivers in other cars - and the main reason he was able to approach races in the way he generally did was that rivals McLaren and Ferrari produced cars that were not on a comparable level to the Red Bull.

How much better than its rivals was the Red Bull? That no other car has been on pole position pretty much sums it up - not even Schumacher and Ferrari managed that.

It was Vettel's running start to the season that killed his rivals - after six wins and two close second places in the first eight races, a second title already looked inevitable.

The Red Bull's advantage was often less dramatic in races than in qualifying - largely because of the tyres - and it was not always the fastest race car. He had to work for his wins in Spain and Monaco, where luck also played a major part in him beating Alonso and Button.

After that incredible early run, though, a mid-season wobble of sorts did give his rivals hope that the championship battle was not completely over.

Vettel was beaten by a rampant Alonso in Britain, following a one-off ban of a key aerodynamic technology called off-throttle blowing of the diffuser. And he produced comparatively weak performances in Germany and Hungary, although still finished fourth and second.

It was enough for Alonso, Button, Hamilton and Webber to head into the summer break still harbouring hopes of making a fight of it.

These were crushed in merciless style by consecutive victories in Belgium and Italy, perhaps Vettel's best of the season so far. After that, another win in Singapore took him to the brink, and the inevitability duly became reality at Suzuka on Sunday.

The weekend in Italy provided an illustration in microcosm of the foundations of Vettel's championship victory.

His breathtaking single-lap pace was demonstrated by qualifying on pole by a massive margin, and his sky-high confidence - founded on that speed - informed what team insiders admit was a risky decision to run a short seventh gear.

It was made in the pursuit of ultimate pace, but Vettel knew that the straight-line speed deficit it would give him could lead to a very difficult afternoon if he lost the lead from pole position - as indeed happened thanks to an electrifying start by Alonso.

Vettel then demonstrated his confidence in a very different way with a stunning overtaking move - around the outside of one of F1's toughest competitors at 200mph, with two wheels on the grass.

The Monza weekend also underlined how much Red Bull's performance this year has been rooted in a less glamorous, but no less important, requirement for F1 success - hard work.

On pole by half a second, Vettel was still at the track at 11pm the night before the race, poring over the data with his engineers, ensuring no stone was left unturned in their endeavour to win the following day.

While Red Bull had the fastest car, benefiting from chief technical officer Adrian Newey's unrivalled genius for aerodynamic design, their teamwork and work ethic were unsurpassed.

At the same time, there were a number of races - one thinks of Australia, Monaco, Canada, Belgium, Italy, Japan - where McLaren could have made life harder for Vettel only for the team or a driver (usually Hamilton) to make a mistake.

Vettel, though, rode his advantage in style to put together one of the most impressive seasons by a driver for years.

That he did so in a golden age in terms of depth of talent is all the more noteworthy. But while the combination of Vettel and Red Bull has been peerless in 2011, it would be wrong to assume the world champion is without rival as a driver.

While he is clearly out of the top drawer, it remains the case that, until he goes up against another great in an equal car, his absolute potential is hard to judge.

And an unscientific straw poll has revealed that most in F1 still believe Alonso to be the world's best driver, even if Vettel is widely thought of now as next in line.

Despite Button's superb season, Hamilton continues to be regarded as the other member of the 'big three' but his shaky season has meant his stock has fallen, and Vettel's stunning qualifying performances mean many now consider him, not the Englishman, to be the fastest man on the grid over one lap.

Put someone that good in a car as fast and reliable as this year's Red Bull, and have it run by a team as professional and slick as they have been, and the result is inevitable.

For the others, the gauntlet has been well and truly thrown down.

Source: http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/andrewbenson/2011/10/vettel_and_red_bull_redefine_p.html

Citifinancial Ford Michael McDowell Red Line Oil Dodge Steve Wallace

HRT F111 unveiled in Barcelona (photos)

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ElNewW-VQto/TXzjA3NjJUI/AAAAAAAAHUc/PfndoFH5Cp4/s1600/HRT%2BF111%2Bunveiled%2Bin%2BBarcelona%2B%2528photos%2529.jpg

After confirming Vitantonio Liuzzi as their second starter for the 2011 campaign, and therefore completing their lineup for the new season, the Spanish team unveiled their F111 challenger in front of reporters on Friday (11th of March), in the penultimate day of testing this off-season.









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Michael McDowell Red Line Oil Dodge Steve Wallace Tony Raines

F1 2011 Teams and Drivers

Full Name Red Bull Racing Seasons 6
Principal Christian Horner Races 107
Nationality Austria Wins 15
Engine Renault Championships 1
Chassis RB7

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-r_fNkKG46yI/TWo0BDQw9PI/AAAAAAAAHQs/pwcqNRlvRaU/s1600/Red%2BBull.jpg
Sebastian Vettel (GER) Mark Webber (AUS)
Seasons 4
Races 62
Wins 10
C'ships 1
Seasons 9
Races 159
Wins 6
C'ships 0







Full Name Vodafone McLaren Mercedes Seasons 45
Principal Martin Whitmarsh Races 684
Nationality Great Britain Wins 168
Engine Mercedes Championships 8
Chassis MP4-26

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-jsF0F319Yl4/TWozi7AGVKI/AAAAAAAAHQc/agftFLJ10VE/s1600/McLaren.jpg
Lewis Hamilton (GBR) Jenson Button (GBR)
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/S7MOCEiPWNI/AAAAAAAAFxI/PrtY8OfwgaU/s1600/Lewis+Hamilton.jpg Seasons 4
Races 71
Wins 14
C'ships 1
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/S7MOCftcBQI/AAAAAAAAFxQ/jE8IiPPCKrI/s1600/Jenson+Button.jpg Seasons 11
Races 191
Wins 9
C'ships 1







Full Name Scuderia Ferrari Marlboro Seasons 61
Principal Stefano Domenicali Races 812
Nationality Italy Wins 215
Engine Ferrari Championships 16
Chassis F150

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-hWAsqm_mX6c/TWoziP8ofDI/AAAAAAAAHQE/4Zhe5jtX8AI/s1600/Ferrari.jpg
Fernando Alonso (ESP) Felipe Massa (BRA)
Seasons 9
Races 159
Wins 26
C'ships 2
Seasons 8
Races 135
Wins 11
C'ships 0







Full Name Mercedes GP Petronas F1 Team Seasons 3
Principal Ross Brawn Races 30
Nationality Germany Wins 9
Engine Mercedes Championships 0
Chassis MGP W02

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-4boWj4s6g7g/TWozjN_ybpI/AAAAAAAAHQk/jlCZI9h_s_c/s1600/Mercedes.jpg
Michael Schumacher (GER) Nico Rosberg (GER)
Seasons 17
Races 269
Wins 91
C'ships 7
Seasons 5
Races 89
Wins 0
C'ships 0







Full Name Lotus Renault GP Team Seasons 18
Principal Eric Boullier Races 281
Nationality France Wins 35
Engine Renault Championships 2
Chassis R31

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-tKr-7RpEv0g/TWo0BUGCK9I/AAAAAAAAHQ0/J74MlM4O2PQ/s1600/Renault.jpg
Robert Kubica (POL)
Vitaly Petrov (RUS)

Seasons 5
Races 76
Wins 1
C'ships 0

Seasons 1
Races 19
Wins 0
C'ships 0








Full Name AT&T Williams Seasons 35
Principal Frank Williams Races 554
Nationality Great Britain Wins 113
Engine Cosworth Championships 9
Chassis FW33

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-e_yjIHSJRxs/TWoMLqvtPgI/AAAAAAAAHP8/ZzuOgwjWwMk/s1600/williams_fw33_02.jpg
Rubens Barrichello (BRA)
Pastor Maldonado (VEN)

Seasons 18
Races 307
Wins 11
C'ships 0

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/TT_2KOCyC_I/AAAAAAAAGnM/zRUH9o418fI/s1600/Pastor%2BMaldonado.jpg







Full Name Force India F1 Team Seasons 3
Principal Vijay Mallya Races 53
Nationality India Wins 0
Engine Mercedes Championships 0
Chassis VJM04

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-LYxuOQEHWPs/TWozidWpJ5I/AAAAAAAAHQM/_PwIh6T9mB0/s1600/Force%2BIndia.jpg
Adrian Sutil (GER)
Paul di Resta (GBR)
Seasons 4
Races 71
Wins 0
C'ships 0
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/TUQ7VS6c1II/AAAAAAAAGts/OJtKdr659bw/s1600/Paul%2Bdi%2BResta.jpg








Full Name Sauber F1 Team Seasons 13
Principal Peter Sauber Races 216
Nationality Switzerland Wins 0
Engine Ferrari Championships 0
Chassis C30

http://lh6.ggpht.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/S5UWKANsyWI/AAAAAAAAFVQ/9CWnu99Jhwg/BMW%20Sauber%20F1%20Team.jpghttp://2.bp.blogspot.com/-5FMjgCpLeGM/TWo0BTi4D-I/AAAAAAAAHQ8/Xt-tc6nfyCI/s1600/Sauber.jpg
Kamui Kobayashi (JPN)
Sergio Perez (MEX)

Seasons 2
Races 21
Wins 0
C'ships 0

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/TT_yqW_O0XI/AAAAAAAAGnE/Nz58XJh3FFc/s1600/driver_team_index.gif







Full Name Scuderia Toro Rosso Seasons 5
Principal Franz Tost Races 88
Nationality Italy Wins 1
Engine Ferrari Championships 0
Chassis STR6

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-ndZiAo3F0yQ/TWo0Bn6i-jI/AAAAAAAAHRE/75eoBAS6VJc/s1600/Toro%2BRosso.jpg
Jaime Alguersuari (ESP)
Sébastien Buemi (SUI)

Seasons 2
Races 27
Wins 0
C'ships 0

Seasons 2
Races 36
Wins 0
C'ships 0








Full Name Lotus Racing Seasons 38
Principal Tony Fernandes Races 509
Nationality Malaysia Wins 79
Engine Renault Championships 7
Chassis TL11

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-cpZOPdRxhOc/TWozij6FIbI/AAAAAAAAHQU/Q2IkWxM9_Qk/s1600/Lotus.jpg
Heikki Kovalainen (FIN)
Jarno Trulli (ITA)

Seasons 4
Races 71
Wins 1
C'ships 0

Seasons 14
Races 238
Wins 1
C'ships 0








Full Name HRT F1 Team Seasons 1
Principal Colin Kolles Races 18
Nationality Spain Wins 0
Engine Cosworth Championships 0
Chassis F111

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-0Rb0fqECF7o/TWDz70ANiZI/AAAAAAAAHJs/0DxuEe417lA/s1600/hrt_f111.jpg
Narain Karthikeyan (IND)
TBA
http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/TT_9pJgSHPI/AAAAAAAAGnc/GreJAwK7z2g/s1600/Narain%2BKarthikeyan.jpg

Seasons 1
Races 19
Wins 0
C'ships 0

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/TT_yqW_O0XI/AAAAAAAAGnE/Nz58XJh3FFc/s1600/driver_team_index.gif







Full Name Marussia Virgin Racing Seasons 1
Principal John Booth Races 18
Nationality Great Britain Wins 0
Engine Cosworth Championships 0
Chassis MVR-02

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-uxiJA7vU6Vk/TWo0B5wXokI/AAAAAAAAHRM/OEde5I_Dn3c/s1600/Virgin.jpg
Timo Glock (GER)
Jerome d'Ambrosio (BEL)

Seasons 4
Races 56
Wins 0
C'ships 0

http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_f2dCclIT9q8/TUAAcZILRLI/AAAAAAAAGnk/gdgMvncn11U/s1600/Jerome%2Bd%2527Ambrosio.jpg

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Mike Harris Cuth Harrison Brian Hart Gene Hartley