Formula-1 news

The paddock at the Yas Marina Circuit is one of the best of the season and is always abuzz with characters, which this year embraced Spanish and Bahraini royalty, FIA President Jean Todt, and the majority of each team’s senior management including McLaren’s Ron Dennis, Ferrari’s Luca di Montezemolo and Piero Lardi Ferrari and Red Bull boss Dietrich Mateschitz…

When McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton won the 2008 drivers’ title, his entry into the record books was made all the more special as he became the sport’s youngest-ever world champion. Just two seasons later and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel has outshone even Hamilton, clinching his maiden championship in Abu Dhabi at 23 years and four months-old – a full five months younger than Hamilton was back in ’08.

It’s a remarkable achievement, made even more remarkable because up until the Yas Marina race there were still four drivers in with a shout at the drivers’ crown. And not just any drivers – Hamilton, two-time champion Fernando Alonso and Vettel’s own team mate Mark Webber. To take a title at such a young age is an accomplishment, but to beat drivers of such calibre is a feat indeed.

Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel has sealed his place in the F1 history books as the sports youngest world champion after a dominant win in Abu Dhabi on Sunday. Vettel led home the McLarens of Lewis Hamilton and Jenson Button.

The men who had been ahead in the standings, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso and Red Bull’s Mark Webber, lost out on the ultimate prize after ill-timed pit stops, finishing seventh and eighth…

Up until Lap 45, when his engine started to smoke and he was forced to retire from the lead, Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel had delivered a perfect race weekend. The 25 points he could have bagged for a well-deserved win would have seen him take the lead in the drivers’ championship and step closer than ever to the title. It was a cruel fate, but the thwarted Vettel is determined to be back on the offensive in Brazil

A couple of months back many had ruled him out of the title fight. Fernando Alonso maintained he could still do it and after his faultless drive to the top of the table in Korea – his third win in four races – his doubters are now eating their words.

The Spaniard’s brilliance in Yeongam’s testing conditions, combined with a disastrous day for Red Bull, means that with just two rounds to go he heads the standings by 11 points…

Organisers have declared the Korean Grand Prix a resounding success, after more than 170,000 spectators attended the three-day meeting. Although there had been concerns the newly-built Yeongam circuit wouldn’t be finished in time, the calendar’s newest fixture pulled out all the stops to be ready and then proceeded to host one of the year’s most thrilling races.

Williams will run Pastor Maldonado and Dean Stoneman during the young driver test, which will take place at the Yas Marina Circuit following November’s Abu Dhabi Grand Prix. The two-day test is scheduled to get underway on November 17.

Venezuelan Maldonado recently took championship honours in the 2010 GP2 series, while Briton Stoneman took the title in this year’s FIA Formula Two Championship. Williams additionally confirmed Valtteri Bottas will remain as the team’s test driver in 2011.

The inaugural Korean Grand Prix was a real race of attrition, so you would think Williams’ technical director Sam Michael would be pleased that both his drivers took home points. But, were it not for the tyre troubles Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg faced during the race, Michael believes the FW32 had more than enough performance for the duo to have finished higher up the order than their respective seventh and tenth places. He explains why he hopes the British team will show their full potential at the forthcoming Brazilian event

Corners matter. Yes, straight-line speed is important, but ultimately it is how quickly a car and driver can corner that dictates that all-important lap time. But what makes a great corner? It is, of course, a very subjective issue.

The new Korea International Circuit threw up a few at the weekend, but it is a little too soon to dub them ‘classics’. For those, most drivers will refer you to the likes of Spa-Francorchamps, Suzuka and Istanbul Park

With Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso moving into the lead of the drivers’ standings following his win in Korea at the weekend, the mood at the Italian team’s Maranello factory couldn’t be better.

But amidst the traditional post-victory celebrations, President Luca di Montezemolo has urged everybody in the squad to remain fully focused on the season’s final two rounds…