Formula-1 news

As many of their rivals suspected they would, Red Bull found a little bit more pace in Saturday afternoon’s final practice session in Abu Dhabi, and Sebastian Vettel and Mark Webber set the fastest times of the weekend. The German lapped in 1m 40.696s, and the Australian was just 0.133s adrift with 1m 40.829s.

Lewis Hamilton was unable to match yesterday’s 1m 40.888s but was third fastest for McLaren on 1m 41.280s…

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…

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…

Team principal Christian Horner has insisted Red Bull will not be favouring Mark Webber over Sebastian Vettel at the championship’s penultimate round in Brazil, despite the Australian’s points advantage following their Korea DNFs.

Webber is second in the table, trailing Fernando Alonso by 11 points, with Vettel a further 14 adrift. Horner says that with 50 still available, it’s too early to back one man…

McLaren’s MP4-25 was tipped to be the fastest car around Monza, and it may yet prove so. However, as the British team experimented with F-duct versus non F-duct configurations on Friday afternoon, Hamilton and Button found themselves outpaced by arch rivals Red Bull and Ferrari. We take a team-by-team look at early progress in Italy

Indian Karun Chandhok is set to be the first Formula One driver to get a taste of the brand-new Yeongam track in Korea next month. Chandhok will take part in a demonstration event on September 4 for the Red Bull team, as the Asian country gears up to host the inaugural Korean Grand Prix from October 22-24…

The title fight couldn’t be better poised as it enters its final European stage after the summer break, with only 20 points – less than you get for a win – separating the top five drivers.

In Hungary Mark Webber moved up to the lead with 161 points after becoming the only driver to win four times this season. He is chased by McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton on 157, Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel on 151, McLaren’s Jenson Button on 147, and Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso on 141…

Drivers: Sebastien Buemi (Toro Rosso), Pedro de la Rosa (Sauber), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren), Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) and Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull).

Q: Gentlemen, first of all, what did you do during the break? Pedro, with the family I guess?
Pedro de la Rosa: Yes, it has been a very good break. I was always with the family. We went to Majorca, on holiday, where we normally go. Great time I must say, very good. I did a lot of cycling and realised how bad I am at that, but it was very good…

Ferrari’s Felipe Massa has admitted Red Bull were in a league of their own at last weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix. The Austrian team’s Sebastian Vettel clinched pole position in Budapest with a 1.2 second margin, while his team mate Mark Webber took victory 17.8s ahead of Massa’s Ferrari colleague Fernando Alonso.

At the previous round in Germany Ferrari seemed to have the edge, with Alonso and Massa scoring a dominant one-two at Hockenheim, but just a week later at the Hungaroring Red Bull had returned to form. And the Brazilian believes this turnaround in performance can be explained by the characteristics of the two circuits in question.

Red Bull’s Mark Webber is looking forward to some relaxation in Formula One’s traditional summer break, spending some time with his dogs and avoiding planes and hotel rooms. And what better way to start that break than by winning your 150th Grand Prix and seeing yourself and your team take the lead in the championship standings