Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso was second with McLaren’s Jenson Button finished third. Alonso & Button had closed in on Vettel’s lead with less than one second between the three of them, but with seven laps remaining Renault’s Vitaly Petrov got caught in a pile-up and crashed into the barriers.

The race was then held up by the safety car for 20 minutes.  When the race reconvened and all three had changed their tyres, it was Sebastian Vettel who finished the fastest and with it extended his lead in the 2011 F1 championship.

F1 2011 Monaco Grand Prix Result
1.  Sebastian Vettel 2:09:38.373
2.  Fernando Alonso     +1.1 secs
3.  Jenson Button +2.3 secs
4.  Mark Webber +23.1 secs
5.  Kamui Kobayashi +26.9 secs
6.  Lewis Hamilton +47.2 secs
7.  Adrian Sutil +1 Lap
8.  Nick Heidfeld +1 Lap
9.  Rubens Barrichello +1 Lap
10.Sebastien Buemi +1 Lap

Once again Lewis Hamilton has found himself in trouble after being controverisal.  After being penalised in the Monaco Grand Prix Hamilton made a comment on his Twitter account which was allegedly a joke suggesting “Maybe it’s because I’m black. That’s what Ali G says.” Lewis Hamilton later apologised for the outburst.

F1 2011 Drivers Championship
1.   S Vettel 143 points
2.   L Hamilton 85
3.   M Webber 79
4.   J Button 76
5.   F Alonso 69
6.   N Heidfeld 29
7.   N Rosberg 26
8.   F Massa 24
9.   V Petrov 21
10. K Kobayashi 19

The next F1 Race is the Canada Grand Prix on 12th June 2011.

Off the line it was the same story for Webber who saw most of the pack of cars pass him as he got bogged down at the start with a failed KERS  system, while Vettel made a text book start to the race ensuring a clear track ahead entering turn one.

It was the Lotus-Renault’s of Nick Heidfeld and Vitaly Petrov that immediately impressed as the red lights went out at the start of the race, Heidfeld going the long way round both McLaren’s in an extraordinary move at turn one to grab second place, while Petrov’s heroics in the same corner put him into fifth place.

With rain threatening to liven up an already exciting race the first round of pit stops saw Heidfeld get jumped by both McLaren’s and the Ferrari of Fernando Alonso, dropping to fifth in the proceedings.

Hamilton began making inroads into Vettel’s lead while Alonso mounted a charge, passing Button with both drivers pulling a substantial lead on Heidfeld.

It was all change again following the second round of pit stops with Button moving back past Alonso and mounting pressure on his team mate Hamilton in a fight for second place.

Hamilton’s pursuit of a podium place was fast disappearing after his third stop for tyres, the harder compound rubber causing all sorts of problems for the Brit and the faster Ferrari of Alonso looming large in his mirrors.

With Hamilton clearly struggling for grip Alonso tucked the Ferrari close in behind the McLaren but was unable to haul his car out of the slipstream quick enough to pass, and caught the rear tyre of his former team mate damaging his own front wing.

With Alonso needing to pit for a new nose cone Heidfeld, Massa and Webber mounted their own final charges on Hamilton who by now was easy meat for the baying pack.

A wonderful overtake on Hamilton with five laps remaining took Heidfeld into third with Webber breathing down the German’s neck as he appeared to at last find some pace in the car with his final set of tyres.

Sebastian Vettel finished another flawless race in first place followed home by Jenson Button and the final podium place going to a richly deserving Nick Heidfeld.

Malaysian Grand Prix 2011 Results:

1.     Sebastian Vettel     Germany     Red Bull-Renault     56     1h37m39.832
2.     Jenson Button     Britain     McLaren-Mercedes     56     3.261
3.     Nick Heidfeld     Germany     Renault     56     25.075
4.     Mark Webber     Australia     Red Bull-Renault     56     26.384
5.     Felipe Massa     Brazil     Ferrari     56     36.958
6.     Fernando Alonso     Spain     Ferrari     56     57.248*
7.     Kamui Kobayashi     Japan     Sauber-Ferrari     56     1m06.439
8.     Lewis Hamilton     Britain     McLaren-Mercedes     56     1m09.957**
9.     Michael Schumacher     Germany     Mercedes GP     56     1m24.896
10.     Paul di Resta     Britain     Force India-Mercedes     56     1m31.563
11.     Adrian Sutil     Germany     Force India-Mercedes     56     1m41.379
12.     Nico Rosberg     Germany     Mercedes GP     55     1 Lap
13.     Sebastien Buemi     Switzerland     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     55     1 Lap
14.     Jaime Alguersuari     Spain     Toro Rosso-Ferrari     55     1 Lap
15.     Heikki Kovalainen     Finland     Lotus-Renault     55     1 Lap
16.     Timo Glock     Germany     Virgin-Cosworth     54     2 Laps
17.     Vitaly Petrov     Russia     Renault     52     DNF, Accident

The incident involving Fernando Alonso and Lewis Hamilton led to both drivers being penalised by the race stewards. Both drivers were given a twenty second time penalty on their finishing position, while this did not affect the outcome for Alonso* who retained his sixth place, Hamilton** was not so lucky and slipped to eighth in the final reckoning.

Clocking a blistering pace in the qualifying session, F1 fans would have been hoping that in race trim at least one the chasing pack might have been able to make a race out of it once the Australian Grand Prix got underway.

Several drivers attempted to keep pace with Vettel from the off, but realistically only Lewis Hamilton in the McLaren appeared to have anything near the pace required, while Fernando Alonso, Jenson Button and even Vettel’s team mate Mark Webber endured awful starts to the race and were never able to make up anywhere close to the time lost on the in the remainder of the race.

To his credit Vettel once again looked imperious leading from the front and drove a perfect race to clinch his first haul of maximum points in 2011.

Hamilton was the happiest of the other runners, finishing the race in second place and leaving the former World Champion driver believing that he is in with a shot at this years championship with the improvements that have been made to the Mclaren in recent weeks.

Vitaly Petrov was the surprise driver of the day, finishing on the third step of the podium comfortably ahead of the chasing Ferrari of Fernado Alonso who had too little too late to bother the Renault-Lotus driver.

Webber and Button made up the top six finishers of the day, with Sebastian Beumi in the Toro Rosso finishing in a creditable eighth place behind Phillipe Massa.

The two Sauber drivers, Sergio Perez and Kamui Kobayashi originally finished the race in seventh and eighth respectively, but both drivers were disqualified after being deemed to have infringed regulations relating to the uppermost wing element on the car.

Sauber have announced that they will appeal against the ruling today, but Force India new British driver Scott di Resta will be hoping that the disqualification will be upheld enabling the rookie to claim a point scoring tenth place on his debut.

Australia Grand Prix results:

1. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault 58laps 1hr 29m 30.259s
2. Lewis Hamilton Britain McLaren-Mercedes +00m 22.2s
3. Vitaly Petrov Russia Renault-Renault +00m 30.5s
4. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari +00m 31.7s
5. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +00m 38.1s
6. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes +00m 54.3s
7. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +01m 25.1s
8. Sebastien Buemi Switzerland Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
9. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes +1 lap
10. Paul di Resta Britain Force India-Mercedes +1 lap

11. Jaime Alguersuari Spain Toro Rosso-Ferrari +1 lap
12. Nick Heidfeld Germany Renault-Renault +1 lap
13. Jarno Trulli Italy Lotus-Renault +2 laps
14. Jerome d’Ambrosio Belgium Virgin-Cosworth +4 laps
15. Timo Glock Germany Virgin-Cosworth +9 laps

Rtd Rubens Barrichello Brazil Williams-Cosworth 48 laps completed
Rtd Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 22 laps completed
Rtd Heikki Kovalainen Finland Lotus-Renault 19 laps completed
Rtd Michael Schumacher Germany Mercedes-Mercedes 19 laps completed
Rtd Pastor Maldonado Venezuela Williams-Cosworth 94 laps completed

Dsq Sergio Perez Mexico Sauber-Ferrari +01m 05.8s
Dsq Kamui Kobayashi Japan Sauber-Ferrari +01m 16.8s

robert kubica

Despite  showing excellent signs of recovery from the recent surgery performed on him following the appalling injuries sustained in his rally crash, the Renault team doctor Riccardo Ceccarelli has said that it is impossible to predict how long it will take before Robert Kubica is fit and well enough to drive in Formula 1 again.

When asked when we might expect to see the driver back behind the wheel of an F1 car, Ceccarelli said that Kubica is ‘getting better every day. I see that he is recovering physically and psychologically, very quickly.’

Dr Ceccarelli went on to say; “No one can answer when (he will recover) because we can only say that the surgeons did a great job. Robert is very strong and he is recovering in a good way. It is a question which is impossible to answer, the time is impossible. We have two positive aspects. The job done by the doctors and Robert who is strong. All the other things are impossible to say.”

He added that Kubica will stay in Pietra Ligure for the foreseeable future, where they have the specialists required to deal with his recovery fully.

But he warns that although Kubica is reacting well to treatment, it will take a long time to reach full recovery. ‘This year, next year, three years? I can only say what I know,’ said Dr Ceccarelli.

Only time will tell if Kubica can recovery well enough from his injuries to drive a Formula 1 car again, in the meantime we can only wish him all the best and look forward to one of the best racers on the F1 grid returning to the sport at some point in the future.

Former team mate at BMW Sauber,  Nick Heidfeld will replace Kubica at Lotus-Renault for the 2011 season, which because of the postponement of the Bahrain GP, now starts in Australia on March 25/27.

Nick Heidfeld

Facing the possibility of losing first choice driver Robert Kubica for the whole of the 2011 season, it is unsurprising that former BMW driver Nick Heidfeld has emerged as favourite to replace the injured driver at Lotus-Renault.

Fighting it out with the Lotus-Renault reserve driver Bruno Senna and discarded Force India driver Vintonio Luizzi, Heidfeld will offer the team the experience that the other two drivers lack, having already shown that he can mix it with the bigger teams throughout his career.

For me he would be the natural choice of the three, an opinion that would appear to be shared by team boss Eric Boullier who has suggested that if Heidfeld would be offered the job if the team is happy with his performance in testing the car at Jerez this weekend.

It is no foregone conclusion however and Bruno Senna will also get his first chance to impress behind the wheel of the 2011 race car in Spain during this weekend.

Heidfeld was Kubica’s team mate at BMW Sauber during 2006 to 2009 and actually outscored the Pole during their time together.

His experience could be vital to the development of the Lotus-Renault during the early races of the season and I firmly expect him to be named as Kubica’s replacement by the end of the weekend.

robert kubica

Formula 1 driver Robert Kubica suffered horrendous injuries when he crashed the rally car he was racing in the Ronde  di Andora rally into a church wall as he approached the start of the event.

The Polish drivers injuries were so severe that doctors first suggested that there was a possibility that he may lose his arm, although seven hours of surgery may have saved that scenario.

Although it is far to early to know if the surgery will save the 26 year olds racing career, the surgeon Mario Igor Rossello said that he was ‘moderately satisfied’ after performing the operation and expected Kubica to recover ‘enough functionality in his hand to resume his career.’

While the surgeon is optimistic he has said that it will be a further six days before they will know for sure, while they keep a close check on the circulation of blood through his hand to see if it responds as it should.

Rossello said ‘The hand is warm and this means the operation went well.’

Following the accident it was reported that Kubica’s right arm had been cut in two places, with significant lesions to the bones and tendons, resulting in the need for surgery to attempt to rebuild the functions of the forearm.

One of the most exciting drivers to emerge in F1 over the last few years, it is hoped that Kubica will recover fully from his injuries to take his place back in the Lotus-Renault team at sometime in the future.

It is too early to make any predictions at this stage and his team will monitor the situation before making any announcement as to who would replace him, should he face a long time out of the sport.

Lotus-Renault have two reserve drivers waiting in the wings in the shape of Bruno Senna and Romain Grosjean, but the team have suggested that should Kubica face a long term absence from F1 they would have to consider the option of bringing in a replacement driver.

bruno senna

Following his pretty awful season at the struggling Hispania Racing team last year it is quite a surprise to hear that Bruno Senna has been signed by the newly named Lotus-Renault F1 team, albeit in the capacity as reserve driver for the team.

While it will raise plenty of sentiment amongst F1 fans to see the famous Senna name mentioned in the same sentence as Lotus, lets not forget that this is the Renault team in all but sponsorship name and while the driver maybe the nephew of former F1 hero Ayrton, the similarity stops there.

Interestingly it was his uncle, Ayrton Senna who last took the original Lotus team to a F1 win, way back in 1987.

Bruno Senna will share his time between the Lotus-Renault F1 team and his other role with Group Lotus where he will provide valuable input into all Lotus cars, both on the track and on the road.

The driver is understandably pleased with his appointment and will perhaps see it as a step towards gaining the necessary experience required to further his Formula 1 career.

He said: “Lotus has placed a great deal of faith in me and I am looking forward to beginning work on the technical side of our relationship. Giving feedback into the development of the Lotus road and race programs will be a fun but challenging way to spend time between my Formula One commitments as a reserve driver for Lotus Renault GP.

My relationship with Lotus is just at the beginning, for me the aim is to continue to make progress in my Formula One career whilst at the same time contributing to the success of the various Lotus projects I will be involved with. There are some fun times ahead.”

The newly named Team Lotus are among those who have confirmed their drivers for tye first time, announcing that will be retaining the services of both of last years competitors, veteran driver Jano Trulli alongside Heikki Kovalainen.

Sauber have also announced both drivers for 2011 when new boy Sergio Perez will join the more experienced Kamui Kobayashi.

Red Bull, Ferrari, McLaren and Mercedes will retain the same driver line ups as last season, while of the other established teams Renault have confirmed Robert Kubica only at this stage and Williams have retained the most experienced driver on the circuit, Rubens Barrichello for their challenge next year.

The Full 2011 Drivers  line up so far:
Red Bull
1 Sebastian Vettel
2 Mark Webber

McLaren
3 Jenson Button
4 Lewis Hamilton

Ferrari
5 Fernando Alonso
6 Felipe Massa

Mercedes GP
7 Michael Schumacher
8 Nico Rosberg

Renault
9 Robert Kubica
10 TBA

Williams
11 Rubens Barrichello
12 TBA

Force India
14 TBA
15 TBA

Sauber
16 Kamui Kobayashi
17 Sergio Perez

Toro Rosso
18 TBA
19 TBA

Team Lotus
20 Jarno Trulli
21 Heikki Kovalainen

Hispania
22 TBA
23 TBA

Virgin Racing
24 TBA
25 TBA

Britons Jenson Button and Lewis Hamilton finished in fourth and fifth respectively, with Hamilton’s recent run of poor results continuing in Japan when he lost third gear during the race while well ahead of his team mate.

Hamilton had already been penalised for the McLaren team illegally changing the gearbox prior to the race and had paid the penalty of a five place grid penalty.

The former World Champion fought his way into contention as Button paid the price for making the wrong tyre choice and can count himself lucky that he was able to pass Hamilton with ten laps of the race remaining.

The race at Suzuka had started in spectacular style from the off when Petrov in the Renault clipped Hulkenberg’s slow-starting Williams, and Massa, trying too hard to make up for an appalling qualifying, lost control after putting a wheel on the grass trying to cut through on the inside and wiped out the unfortunate Liuzzi’s Force India.

Robert Kubica in contrast had made a spectacular start in his Renault, edging into second place ahead of Webber, but under the Safety Car the rear right wheel of the Renault disappeared down the track leaving Kubica stranded as the race got back under way.

Webber now has a 14-point championship lead, with Alonso second, tied on points with Vettel in third. Hamilton slips to fourth, with Button in fifth, with just three races remaining.

Japan Grand Prix result:

1      S Vettel      1:30:27.323
2     M Webber     1:30:28.228
3     F Alonso     1:30:30.044
4      J Button     1:30:40.845
5     L Hamilton     1:31:06.918
6     M Schumacher     1:31:27.256
7     K Kobayashi     1:31:31.361
8     N Heidfeld     1:31:36.971
9     R Barrichello    1:31:38.136
10     S Buemi     1:31:40.187

Fernando Alonso - Ferrari 2010

Fernando Alonso won the Singapore Grand Prix yesterday after dominating the race from pole position in the Ferrari.

As the race got underway it was Sebastian Vettel in the Red Bull that took to the front but he was quickly knocked off the front spot as he was forced out by Alonso.

The safety car was deployed on lap 3 of the race after Nick Heidfeld hit Tonio Liuzzi from behind leaving the Force India car stranded on the circuit in a dangerous place.  The usual scramble for the pit lane began although the top four drivers remained on track staying on soft tyres.

The safety car was deployed for the second time when Kamui Kobayashi slammed his BMW Sauber into the barrier at the exit of turn 18.

As the safety car left the track, Lewis Hamilton attempted to make a move on Mark Webber in the Red Bull going into turn 7.  It looked as if Hamilton would make it through but cut across the front of Webber who had nowhere to go and the two touched.  Hamilton was out of the running and the incident was investigated by the stewards who decided it was a racing incident and no further action would be taken.

A similar incident then took place between Nick Heidfeld and Michael Schumacher, resulting in the retirement of the Sauber driver and once again although the accident was investigated no action was taken.

With just two laps of the race remaining Sebastien Buemi hit the back of the Lotus driven by Heikki Kovalainen causing it to spin.  As the Lotus limped around the final sector of the lap it burst into flames and after crossing the start/finish line, Kovalainen jumped out of his stricken Lotus, grabbed a fire extinguisher and doused the flames himself as he waited for the marshalls.

Alonso crossed the line to take the chequered flag just 0.2 seconds ahead of Vettel with Mark Webber in the second Red Bull in third.

Jenson Button finished in fourth place ahead of Nico Rosberg in fifth, Rubens Barrichello in sixth, Robert Kubica in seventh, Felipe Massa in eighth, Adrian Sutil in ninth and Nico Hulkenberg in tenth.

Here are the results;

1. Fernando Alonso Spain Ferrari-Ferrari 61 laps 1hr 57m 53.579s
2. Sebastian Vettel Germany Red Bull-Renault +00.2s
3. Mark Webber Australia Red Bull-Renault +29.1s
4. Jenson Button Britain McLaren-Mercedes +30.3s
5. Nico Rosberg Germany Mercedes-Mercedes +49.3s
6. Rubens Barrichello Brazil Williams-Cosworth +56.1s
7. Robert Kubica Poland Renault-Renault +1m 26.5s
8. Felipe Massa Brazil Ferrari-Ferrari +1m 53.2s
9. Adrian Sutil Germany Force India-Mercedes +2m 12.4s*
10. Nico Hulkenberg Germany Williams-Cosworth +2m 12.7s**

all results unofficial