Formula-1 news

As he showed to great effect at the recent Hungarian Grand Prix, Mark Webber in a Red Bull is a winning combination. And at the start of this month’s summer break the Budapest victor has sent out a warning call to his rivals that he plans to be just as strong at the season’s remaining seven races.

Although Webber missed out on pole in Hungary – it was claimed by his team mate Sebastian Vettel – the Australian notched up his fourth win of the year, crossing the line almost 18 seconds ahead of the chasing Ferrari of Fernando Alonso.

Ferrari will appear before the FIA World Motor Sport Council (WMSC) next month following their controversial one-two result at July’s German Grand Prix.

The Italian team were fined US$100,000 by the Hockenheim race stewards for breaching sporting regulations after Felipe Massa, who had been leading the event, moved aside to allow team mate Fernando Alonso past. The stewards also forwarded their report to the WMSC for further consideration.

Mark Webber dominated the final session of practice prior to Hungarian Grand Prix qualifying, finishing the hour 0.484s ahead of Red Bull team mate Sebastian Vettel whose final three efforts to unseat him came up short.

Webber’s lap of 1m 19.574s struck terror into the hearts of rivals, and just to rub their noses in it, Vettel’s lap of 1m 20.058s was itself seven-tenths clear of Fernando Alonso’s 1m 20.724s for Ferrari…

Following their controversial one-two result at the German Grand Prix, Ferrari have been fined US$100,000 by the FIA after race stewards deemed they had breached sporting regulations and the case has been referred to the World Motor Sport Council.

Ferrari driver Felipe Massa, who had been leading the Hockenheim race, moved aside to allow team mate Fernando Alonso past on Lap 49. A few moments before, Massa’s race engineer Rob Smedley had told the Brazilian “Fernando is faster than you. Can you confirm you understood that message?”

Mercedes GP’s Nico Rosberg has grown in self confidence since his Silverstone podium couple of weeks back. It is obvious in the way he walks, the way he talks and the way he interacts with the media. Everything seems to say ‘I am well on the way to becoming a power in Formula One’. Having started the season in the shadow of team mate Michael Schumacher, Rosberg has quickly emerged as a force in his own right. He’s clearly enjoying it, even if that first win has so far eluded him. But that is surely just a matter of time

He may have already secured his place in the record books by being Russia’s first-ever Formula One racer, but Renault’s Vitaly Petrov is determined to make his mark in the sport on his own terms too.

Although playing catch-up to his vastly more experienced team mate Robert Kubica is not ideal, Petrov is pleased with his progress and is hoping to clock up more mileage at this weekend’s German race

Red Bull appeared to have enough pace to keep the upgraded McLarens at bay on Friday, with Sebastian Vettel taking the morning’s top spot and team mate Mark Webber the afternoon’s. The leading teams and their rivals reflect on their early progress at Silverstone