Category Archives: Formula 1

Rubens Barrichello may have scored Williams their first points of 2011 in Monaco, but the British team could have celebrated a double points finish had it not been for a late collision between driver Pastor Maldonado and McLaren's Lewis Hamilton. Despite the disappointment, technical director Sam Michael was pleased with progress and is confident upgrades on the FW33 could see the team improve even more in Montreal next month…

From a young boy in Scotland, watching Ayrton Senna racing and dreaming of similar success, to a fully-fledged Formula One driver in his own right, Paul di Resta has been busy in recent years making his childhood dreams become reality. Next on the agenda must surely be his first F1 podium, first victory and first title. In the meantime, however, he's been daydreaming about inviting Clark, Senna, Fangio and Enzo Ferrari to dinner, perhaps for some fish and chips…

His Monaco race may have ended in the barriers on Sunday, but Renault's Vitaly Petrov is confident he will be well enough to compete at the forthcoming Canadian event. Petrov was caught up in a collision between McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari during the race's closing stages. “I'm fine,” said the Russian in a video on the team's official website. “I have some pain in my legs but I should be fine for Canada. I couldn't get out of the car at first as my legs were blocked and I also couldn't feel them. So I thought I have a problem, maybe my legs are broken or something. So I just sat in the car and waited for the people to help me get out of the car.

Sauber driver Sergio Perez was released from the Hospital Princesse Grace in Monaco on Monday after undergoing more examinations. Perez was admitted after a heavy crash in the final minutes of qualifying in Monte Carlo on Saturday in which he suffered concussion and a bruised thigh, ruling him out of Sunday's race

The red flags may have robbed fans of a three-way showdown between three world champions, but they still witnessed the most thrilling Monaco race in years, with more overtaking than anyone had dared hope for. No-one - Sebastian Vettel included - had planned a one-stop route to victory, but racing in the Principality is all about thinking on your feet and when things went wrong for the champions, Red Bull responded in typically bold fashion

Who can stop Sebastian Vettel? Right now the answer seems to be nobody. When the odds were against him on Sunday after a botched first pit stop, the reigning champion took the risky decision to stay out and try to finish the race on one set of tyres. Circumstances fell his way with a red flag six laps from the race end, after which a new set of tyres and a safety-car restart helped him to his first Monaco win

Drivers: 1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 2 - Fernando Alonso (Ferrari), 3 - Jenson Button (McLaren). Q: Sebastian, great race. Three different strategies in the top three positions, but the upshot is you are a Monaco Grand Prix winner. Describe your feelings? Sebastian Vettel: It is unbelievable and I think the race today was pretty entertaining from the inside of the car at least

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton has had 20 seconds added to his race time by the Monaco race stewards. Hamilton was handed the penalty for causing a collision with the Williams of Pastor Maldonado during the closing stages of the Monte Carlo race. Even with the additional seconds added to his race time, Hamilton will keep his sixth-place finishing position as he was the last driver on the lead lap. His team mate Jenson Button, meanwhile, finished the race in third.

Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel rode his luck for all it was worth in Monaco this weekend. He got the pole on Saturday, then had it inadvertently safeguarded after Sergio Perez's accident. Then on Sunday, just as he was under massive pressure on worn tyres from Ferrari's Fernando Alonso and McLaren's Jenson Button, a nail-biting race was brought to a temporary halt when Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari crashed in heavy traffic in the Swimming Pool, taking out Renault's Vitaly Petrov in the process.

Ferrari's Felipe Massa on tangling with McLaren's Lewis Hamilton; Force India's Paul di Resta on his incident-packed race; Red Bull's Mark Webber on the fumbled pit stop which may have cost him a podium finish; Williams' Pastor Maldonado on his dramatic late exit; and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel on finally tasting victory in Monaco. The drivers review their Sundays...

Renault's Vitaly Petrov has escaped serious injury after crashing during Sunday's Monaco race. Petrov was caught up in a collision between McLaren's Lewis Hamilton and Toro Rosso's Jaime Alguersuari on lap 69 and slammed into the barriers at the Swimming Pool prompting a safety car. After the Russian complained about pain in his left ankle whilst still in his car, the race was suspended as an ambulance came out on track. Petrov was then carefully extricated under medical supervision and driven to the nearby Princess Grace Hospital for further checks, which confirmed that there was no swelling or broken bones

Monaco may turn itself over to Formula One racing for the weekend of the Grand Prix, but tradition dictates that football takes centre stage before the on-track action begins, with the annual pre-race 'World Stars' charity match. This year's event - the 18th to be held - was raising money for the reconstruction of the church in Port au Prince, Haiti. Whilst the Star Team MC, made up of international sports names, was captained by Monaco's very own HSH Prince Albert II, the Formula One side was captained Ferrari's Fernando Alonso. Sauber's Sergio Perez, HRT's Vitantonio Liuzzi, Ferrari's Felipe Massa, Renault's Vitaly Petrov, Virgin Jerome D'Ambrosio and Force India reserve Nico Hulkenberg were amongst the other drivers in action.

Sauber's Sergio Perez will not race in Sunday's Monaco event following his high-speed qualifying crash in Monte Carlo, the team have confirmed. Perez, who avoided serious injury, remains under observation in the nearby Princess Grace Hospital and after a 'good night' is now expected to be discharged on Monday after a further precautionary scan

Luck has always played a big part in winning in the gambler's paradise that is Monte Carlo. And on Saturday it was very much on Sebastian Vettel's side, as the Red Bull driver emerged triumphant in a qualifying session that was rendered something of a lottery by Sergio Perez's dramatic accident in the Sauber (from which the Mexican mercifully escaped without serious injury). With a grid that may well not represent their true Monaco form, we take a look at each team's pre-race fortunes

Monaco is one of the most challenging stops on the Formula One calendar and on Saturday it was Mercedes' Nico Rosberg and Sauber's Sergio Perez who paid the price for the circuit's demands. In the case of Rosberg, who crashed in final practice, only the car suffered and so, with some swift work from the Mercedes mechanics, the young German was able to take part in qualifying

Drivers: 1 - Sebastian Vettel (Red Bull), 2 - Jenson Button (McLaren), 3 - Mark Webber (Red Bull) Q: Sebastian, your first pole here at Monaco. Share your feelings with us? Sebastian Vettel: Yes, it is a long way around here. Qualifying is tough. Three segments so in each one you have to give it your 100 per cent. We had very good preparation in Q1 and Q2, maybe not yet perfect but then in Q3 the lap I had was just spot on, so I was really happy with that. But I think sitting here now talking about qualifying, I think the most important thing was to hear that

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton couldn't hide his disappointment after qualifying in Monaco on Saturday. Seventh on the grid was not what Hamilton had hoped for, and with matters going from bad to worse with a penalty from the stewards pushing him further down the order, the British driver is expecting a tough race on Sunday…

McLaren's Lewis Hamilton has had his best Q3 time deleted by the Monte Carlo stewards after he jumped the chicane whilst setting the lap during the final part of qualifying on Saturday. Hamilton had secured seventh on the Monaco grid but he is now expected to drop down to ninth. However, with Sauber's Sergio Perez not expected to race on Sunday following his heavy crash, it is likely Hamilton will start Sunday's race from ninth. The Briton's team mate Jenson Button is second on the grid, just behind Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel, who will start from pole for the fifth time this season.

Qualifying in Monaco was suspended with a little over two minutes of Q3 remaining after a heavy shunt for Sauber's Sergio Perez. Perez lost control at high speed exiting the tunnel and impacted side-on with the barrier at the Turn 10. It took several minutes for medics to extract the Mexican from his car, after which he was transferred to an ambulance and taken to hospital

HRT's Vitantonio Liuzzi and Narain Karthikeyan on their Saturday afternoon 'no-show'; Mercedes' Nico Rosberg on the sterling work which helped him qualify following his Practice Three smash; Williams' Pastor Maldonado on making it through to the top-ten shootout for a second consecutive weekend; and Red Bull's Sebastian Vettel on snatching his fifth pole of the season. All the drivers and leading team personnel report back on Saturday in Monte Carlo and send their best wishes to Sauber driver Sergio Perez