Mark Webber seems to have attracted plenty of support in the largely empty stands in Yeongam at the Korean Grand Prix. Here’s a selection of banners the crowd have brought along to show their support for our Mark.
The quality of finish is first class and references include the Gangnam Style film clip and old skool pop-art comics. Here’s hoping Aussie Mark can make good on this support and convert his pole position to a race win.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Mark Webber has edged out his Red Bull teammate to clinch a desperately close pole position at the Korean Grand Prix. Webber’s time of 1:37.242 was just 0.074 seconds faster than Sebastian Vettel (1:37.316).
The result at Yeongam is Webber’s first bona fide pole position for the year, after inheriting pole in Monaco following Michael Schumacher’s penalty. It was a welcome return to form for Webber, too, after his final practice session was compromised by software glitch, preventing him from running on the super soft tyres he used to claim his 11th career pole position.
In third place was McLaren’s Lewis Hamilton (1:37.469), who will start the race alongside the current championship leader, Ferrari’s Fernando Alonso (1:37.534). It’s a Lotus–Ferrari third row, with Kimi Raikkonen (1:37.625) to start from P5; Felipe Massa (1:37.884) will line up at P6.
Despite losing drive in the latter part of Q2, Daniel Ricciardo (1:39.084) edged out his Toro Rosso teammate, Jean-Eric-Vergne (1:39.340). But they could do no better than P16 and P17 respectively.
So, we go into tomorrow’s race hoping Mark can make the most of his P1 and get a clean getaway, able to fend off the inevitable challenge from the four world champions immediately behind him.
You can read the full post-qualifying press conference transcript after the break, with thanks to the FIA.
[Pics: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Secret internal documents from Lotus GP leaked to AUSmotive show that Romain Grosjean’s “accident” with Mark Webber at the start of the Japanese Grand Prix wasn’t an accident at all. In fact, young Romain was simply following orders from his senior teammate, Kimi Raikkonen, and Mark was caught up in a case of mistaken identity.
The full document, which details Kimi’s mischevious plan in its entirety, can be seen after the break.
[Thanks to Justin for the tip]
Here’s your routine F1 picture fix, with over 90 images from the Japanese Grand Prix. Sebastian Vettel was on top, cruising to an untroubled victory. The late afternoon sunlight was captured with great skill by some of the traveling F1 snappers. We trust, as always, that you will enjoy their work.
As you can see even the drivers were happy that Kamui Kobayashi achieved a podium at his home race. To see what else the first three drivers thought-post race we suggest you check out the Japanese Grand Prix press conference transcript after the break.
For race winner Sebastian Vettel much of the talk was about his chances in the world drivers’ championship. While Felipe Massa and Kamui Kobayashi faced plenty of questions about their futures.
In his Red Bull’s official post-race statement Mark Webber a bit more circumspect in his critique of Roman Grosjean, but we suspect the Lotus driver won’t be Mark’s Christmas card list:
Mark Webber: “I haven’t seen what happened at the start, but it’s been confirmed that it was Grosjean who hit me. We’re trying to fight for results each weekend and it doesn’t help so, yeah, it’s frustrating as a few of the big guys suffered out there today. We went onto a one stop strategy from then on, but I kept pushing, I didn’t give up and got something from it. To finish eight seconds off fifth, after the fact I was in reverse at one point—and also the safety car came in before I caught the back of the field—was something. I’ll come back in Korea.â€
Meanwhile, Grosjean responded via the Lotus post-race report: “Ever since I came back in Singapore my priority has been to be very cautious at the start, and I was watching Sergio [Perez] on my left to make sure there was no contact with him. There was quite a big speed difference between me and Mark [Webber] as I came into the first corner which caught me by surprise and we collided. It was a stupid mistake. Mark [Webber] came to see me after the race and was obviously not happy, but I apologised and we have to move on. We’ll sit down and look at things again before the next race to see what we can do to improve these situations. In the last few laps of the race the tyres were at the end of their life and we were out of the points, so it made sense to retire. Not a good day, but we have to look ahead to Korea and a chance to make amends.”
[Pic: Sauber Motorsport AG]
Sebastian Vettel has nicely positioned himself for a tilt at a third consecutive world championship after taking victory at today’s Japanese Grand Prix. Really, it was a walk in the park for the Red Bull driver too, taking victory by a comfortable 20 seconds.
Surprising us all was Felipe Massa who crossed the line in second place for Ferrari. It’s his first podium since late in the 2010 season. A timely boost, perhaps, for Massa who is one of the highest profile drivers under pressure to keep his seat for 2013.
Ensuring the home town crowd were in raptures Kamui Kobayashi drove a strong race for Sauber to finish in third place. It’s the team’s fourth podium this year, the first for Kobayashi. Which makes it the first time since 1990 that a local driver has stood on the podium in the Japanese Grand Prix. There were great scenes from the Japanese fans chanting Kamui’s name as he arrived on the podium.
Vettel’s seemingly easy victory was set up thanks to opening lap dramas going on behind him. Most notably, Fernando Alonso (Ferrari) and Kimi Raikkonen (Lotus) got involved in a bit of kerfuffle in Turn 1, which resulted in Alonso retiring from the race. The 25 points clawed back by Vettel sees him only four points behind Alonso, with the better form going into the final five races.
Unfortunately, the other notable incident on the opening lap involved Mark Webber (Red Bull) who was tagged and spun around by Romain Grosjean (Lotus). Webber was dead last and was lucky to escape the contact relatively unharmed. He then did very well to fight his way back into the top 10, claiming two championship points on offer for P9. Grosjean was given a 10 second stop-go penalty for his troubles and ultimately retired late in the race while sitting outside of the points.
Post-race comments attributed to Mark in reference to Grosjean include calling him a “first lap nutcase” and saying his driving is “embarrassing at this level.” Webber rounded out his discontent by suggesting Grosjean should “have another holiday”, that is another suspension from the stewards.
Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) did a sterling job to keep a charging Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) at bay in the closing laps to finish in P10 and claim the last point up for grabs. Ricciardo’s teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne, finished in some margin back in P13.
So, with five races to go we’re looking at another nail biting race for the world drivers’ championship. Alonso won’t give up his lead easily, but he’ll have a tough fight on his hands as it appears Red Bull has been able to bring some very effective updates to their car which has given them the edge over Ferrari. Vettel will have great confidence going into the final races.
Helping to boost his confidence is the fact that Vettel’s win today makes him the first driver this year to win back-to-back races. With Red Bull’s good previous form in Korea, you’d reckon the chances of Vettel making it three in a row are quite good. We’ll find out next weekend.
Sebastian Vettel has claimed pole position in an interrupted final qualifying session at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix. The Red Bull champion lapped the famed Suzuka circuit in 1:30.839 to finish ahead of his teammate, Mark Webber (1:31.090).
Both Red Bull drivers had shown good pace during practice and the fact they will line up alongside each other for tomorrow’s race is no real surprise. Nor is seeing Jenson Button (1:31.290) flying the flag for McLaren as he too has shown solid form during the weekend.
The leading drivers in Q3 were aiming for two flying laps, but most of the drivers had their second lap compromised after Kimi Raikonnen spun at the Spoon curve late in the session and brought out a temporary yellow flag.
Also compromised is tomorrow’s starting grid thanks to a series of penalties. Unfortunately for Button he will drop five places due to an unscheduled gearbox penalty. The same fate is faced by Nico Hulkenberg (Force India). While the retiree-in-waiting, Michael Schumacher (Mercedes AMG), will drop 10 places for ruining the race of Romain Grosjean (Lotus) in Singapore.
Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso) qualified in his customary position one place behind teammate Daniel Ricciardo, but the Frenchman was deemed to have impeded the run of Bruno Senna (Williams) in Q1 and has been handed a three spot grid penalty.
We were also intrigued to see that Lewis Hamilton is wasting no time in preparing for his role with Mercedes next year by qualifying down in P9. Although we assume Martin Whitmarsh is less than impressed.
A few stats worth reflecting on for the statisticians in our readership. Today’s front-row lockout is the first for Red Bull this year, after achieving the feat seven times in 2011. More noteworthy, however, is Vettel racking up his 34th career pole, which places him one ahead of the great Jim Clark and four-time world champion Alain Prost. Only Ayrton Senna (65) and Michael Schumacher (68) stand ahead of the 25-year-old German.
The revised starting order is available HERE. And you can read what the three fastest men had to say after quali by checking out the transcript from the post-qualifying press release, courtesy of the FIA.
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
Photographers are presented a challenge under the artificial lights at the Singapore Grand Prix. But as you’ll see after the break they’ve done a great job of capturing the colour and excitement from one of the more unique races on the F1 calendar.
Many drivers took a few liberties flying across the Singapore Sling chicane and they’ve been captured for you here. There’s 106 photos in all, we trust you’ll enjoy them.
Also included below is a series of images featuring the winning design from Mark Webber’s Helmet Promo.
After winning his 23rd Grand Prix victory Sebastian Vettel was in a much chirpier mood than he was post-qualifying. In the post-race press conference he shared a bit about why the Singapore Grand Prix is considered to be so tough: “Obviously it’s a long race, a lot of laps – we did the full two hours again – but it’s fun in a way, you are excited, a bit nervous before the race starts, knowing there is a little bit of a marathon coming, but I think that’s what makes this race so special: not just racing at night, it’s also the circuit with a lot of corners, a lot of bumps, making it extremely difficult.
“It’s a great challenge for us. Very happy with the result, obviously. I think the team deserves a big thank you. In fact working in these conditions is very, very hot and in the garage it is another 10, 15 degrees hotter than outside. So not the nicest office to work it but obviously it’s nice to give a little bit of champagne back and bring a trophy home – so I’m very happy.”
After the break you can read the full transcript of what all three men standing on the podium had to say, with thanks to the FIA.
[Pic: Ferrari]
Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull) has picked up his bottom lip following his qualifying disappointment and made good on Lewis Hamilton’s (McLaren) misfortune to win the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix. It’s Vettel’s second win of the year and his second victory under the lights in Singapore.
Hamilton looked in control of the race for the first 22 laps and then on lap 23 his gearbox failed forcing him to retire. Vettel inherited the lead and only surrendered it during routine pit stops.
Jenson Button provided some smiles for McLaren by finishing second, while Fernando Alonso once again managed to minimise the damage from those chasing down his title lead, despite his Ferrari not having the raw pace to challenge for the win.
This is Singapore so it had to be influenced by the Safety Car, and so it came to be when Narain Karthikeyan (HRT) crashed out on lap 33. Shortly after the restart Michael Schumacher (Mercedes) locked his brakes heavily and drove into the back of an innocent Jean-Eric Vergne (Toro Rosso), who was sitting in the points in P10.
It’s unclear if it was the mistake of an old man or some sort of mechanical failure. To Vergne’s credit he immediately accepted Schumacher’s apology with good grace. Perhaps having seven world titles does give Michael a few credits in the bank.
After the second restart things remained mostly in control, save for a squabble involving the two Saubers and Nico Hulkenberg (Force India) with about 10 laps to go. The result was a broken front wing for Kamui Kobayashi and a puncture for Hulkenberg. Mark Webber (Red Bull) narrowly escaped the action by passing Kobayishi moments earlier.
It was disappointing day for Webber who was running strongly in fifth but a gamble to change tyres during the second Safety Car period didn’t pay off and the best he could muster was the one point offered for tenth place.
Just ahead of Webber was Daniel Ricciardo (Toro Rosso) who finished in P9. Daniel has been relatively strong in qualifying, but hasn’t always managed to put it together on Sunday. This is just his second points finish for the year, after his debut race with Toro Rosso in Melbourne.
The heat and humidity of Singapore makes this a tough race for the drivers, reinforced by the fact the drivers could only cover 59 of the planned 61 laps. The race ended after it reached the two hour time limit.
We have a break of two weeks now before back to back races in Japan and Korea. Vettel’s win has moved him into second place in the drivers’ championship and we’re shaping for another fantastic fight for the title with six races remaining.
UPDATE: We understand Sebastian Vettel and Jenson Button are facing the stewards after the two narrowly avoided contact during the first Safety Car period. If any late drama unfolds we’ll let you know.
UPDATE #2: The stewards left Vettel and Button alone, but nabbed Mark Webber for gaining advantage by going off the track to overtake Kamui Kobayashi. He was given a 20 second time penalty, which means he drops to P11.
McLaren’s excellent mid-season form has continued into the far east with Lewis Hamilton (1:46.362) claiming pole position under the lights at the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix. On a blistering lap he managed to escape harm after brushing the wall on the way to his third pole position from the last four races and the 24th of his career.
Sebastian Vettel had been looking good to fulfill Red Bull’s promise of greater success in the fly away races by topping the time sheets in all three Free Practice sessions. In the end P3 (1:46.905) was the best the dual world champion could manage, with a sizeable gap of five tenths back to Lewis.
Splitting the two front runners was the unlikely Pastor Maldonado for Williams (1:46.804). The Venezuelan is prone to moments of raw pace, but his sometimes arguable racecraft may strike fear into Hamilton and Vettel when the lights go out to start the race.
The top six is rounded out by Jenson Button (McLaren, 1:46.939), Fernando Alonso (Ferrari, 1:47.216) and Paul di Resta (Force India, 1:47.241).
Mark Webber (1:47.475) put his Red Bull into P7, but is under investigation for impeding Timo Glock (Marussia) in Q1. Any penalty would surely frustrate the Australian immensely.
The usual Toro Rosso qualifying result of Daniel Ricciardo being one place ahead of his teammate, Jean-Eric Vergne, has come to fruition once again. They’ll start from P15 and P16 respectively.
And before we bring you the transcript from the first three qualifiers we can’t let it go unmentioned that Pedro de la Rosa (HRT, 1:53.355) will drop five places from the last spot on the grid due an early gearbox change. We wonder, in order to give this penalty any merit, should Charlie Whiting hold Pedro on the line for a cheeky second or so at the start?
[Pic: Red Bull/Getty Images]
UPDATE: Good news for Webber, with Autosport reporting the stewards let him off with a reprimand.
Today we bring you over 100 photos from the 2012 Italian Grand Prix, won by Lewis Hamilton. Given the alarming rate at which Sebastian Vettel has chalked up F1 victories—he currently has 22 from 94 starts—it was a bit of a surprise to learn the win in Monza is only Hamilton’s 2oth (from 103 starts).
Still, that’s 20 more than you or I will ever enjoy. Let’s hope you can enjoy these pics, at the very least!