Formula-1 news

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.

British racer Sam Bird will drive for Mercedes GP at the young driver test to be held at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit on November 16-17, the team have confirmed. Bird, 23, is currently fifth in the GP2 standings with one win and four podiums and will be in Abu Dhabi for the season finale, part of the support bill for the Formula One Grand Prix…

Technical directors: Aldo Costa (Ferrari), James Key (BMW Sauber), Paddy Lowe (McLaren), Sam Michael (Williams), Adrian Newey (Red Bull).

Q: A question to you all. Can you tell us about your Monza specifications? What have you changed? Are you running the F-duct if you have an F-duct?
Sam Michael: Our Monza spec is just for Monza really. We didn’t actually put a lot of work into it as it is only one race, so we put a lot of our effort into the next race as it pays off for five Grands Prix rather than one…

After crashing out of the last round in spectacular fashion (taking a title rival with him), you might expect a more circumspect approach from Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel in this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix – a race on which his championship hopes could hinge. True to form, however, Vettel is playing it cool, insisting nothing will change in his quest for victory

It was a rainy day for a birthday, but that is what you sometimes get in Belgium. A huge cake from his Red Bull team compensated at least partially for the monsoon-like conditions. Regardless, Mark Webber leads the championship and is in relaxed frame of mind going into this weekend’s Grand Prix. The RB6 may not have featured highly on the Friday timesheets, but Sunday’s a different matter and Webber would love to add a prestigious Spa win to his trophy cabinet – even if he admits he now has the championship’s long game in mind

For a fortnight in August Formula One racing comes to a shuddering halt as the teams enforce their self-imposed summer shutdown.

For Ferrari, who only recently rediscovered their early season form at the German and Hungarian Grands Prix, the two-week holiday could be considered costly, but team principal Stefano Domenicali is hoping a spell away from the factory could prove productive…

Leading the field by half a second is quite a statement, even if Red Bull’s Sebastian Vettel does play down the importance of Friday’s practice times. He has marked the Hungaroring as his territory for the weekend and now it is up to the rest to take it from him. After several Grands Prix when things have somehow slipped through his fingers, has the young German’s time come again in Budapest?

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

Mercedes GP’s Michael Schumacher has been penalised by the Hungarian Grand Prix stewards for his clash with Williams’ Rubens Barrichello in the closing laps of Sunday’s Budapest race. Schumacher has been handed a 10-place grid penalty for the next round in Belgium…

It was another promising but ultimately frustrating weekend for Williams in Germany, with both Rubens Barrichello and Nico Hulkenberg making the Q3 cut in qualifying, only to be stymied in the race by poor starts. Technical director Sam Michael reviews the events of Hockenheim and looks forward to this coming weekend’s Hungarian Grand Prix