Team principals: Stefano Domenicali (Ferrari), Christian Horner (Red Bull), Adam Parr (Williams), Martin Whitmarsh (McLaren).
Q: First question to you all. We have had a fantastic World Championship this year with four drivers in contention at the end of the series. What do you think has been a major contribution to the excitement of the championship? Is it the rules, new circuits? Adam, what do you think it is?
Adam Parr: I am very honoured to be here with the championship contenders…
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.
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
Renault’s Robert Kubica and Force India’s Adrian Sutil on their pit-lane collision; Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel on his drive-through penalty; Williams’ Rubens Barrichello and Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher on their close encounter; and Mark Webber on taking his fourth win of the season in Red Bull’s 100th Grand Prix. All 24 drivers, and senior team personnel, report back on Sunday’s race
Hot on the heels of Hockenheim, the teams head straight to Budapest for this weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix, the last race before the Formula One community takes a well-earned summer break. Drivers and senior team personnel discuss their prospects for the Hungaroring
Force India’s Vitantonio Liuzzi on his high-speed crash during Q1; Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher on just missing out on taking part in Q3 in front of his home crowd; and Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel on clinching pole position. All 24 drivers, and senior team personnel, review Saturday’s action at Hockenheim
Sixth on the Hockenheim grid, behind both Red Bull drivers, both Ferrari drivers and his own team mate Jenson Button, was a troubling result for McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton. But with the MP4-25′s tendency to perform better in the race than in qualifying, Hamilton isn’t ruling out a podium finish on Sunday
As the FIA Formula One World Championship returns to Hockenheim for the first time in two years, the battle for the drivers’ and constructors’ titles could not be more finely balanced. With nine races left, the four leading drivers are separated by only 24 points, while in the team chase McLaren lead Red Bull by 278 points to 249.
Red Bull are the team back in form right now, with McLaren and Ferrari both honing revised aerodynamic packages intended to put them on an equal footing…
Although McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton would have preferred to have won his home race at Silverstone last weekend, he’s well satisfied with his second-place finish.
With the slightly quicker Red Bull leading the way and the British team’s well-documented blown diffuser issues, Hamilton is pleased he left the British round with a haul of 18 points and his lead in the drivers’ championship intact. He explains more in an interview with his official website
Given their form of late – and the fact they’ll be armed with a heavily-revised McLaren – Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton could well challenge for a one-two at this weekend’s British Grand Prix. Do it and they will become the latest in a long line of British drivers to achieve the feat.
But dip into the history books to discover the last time two English team mates reigned supreme on home soil you have to delve pretty deep – all the way back to Silverstone 1958
