Springtime in Imola

It wasn’t so very long ago that the European Formula One season would start with the San Marino Grand Prix More »

2013 Chinese Grand Prix: Team-by-team

Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix saw impressive performances across the field from a dominant victory by Alonso to a brilliant points More »

Will Perez’s inexperience hinder McLaren in 2013?

In November last year I wrote an article questioning McLaren’s decision to pick Sergio Perez as the replacement for the More »

Out of the Shadows

It’s all a matter of opinion, but to my mind the Shadow DN5 of 1975 was one of the best More »

Zolder – Belgium’s Other Circuit

On ten occasions between 1973 and 1984 when the fourteen kilometre Spa-Francorchamps road circuit was deemed too dangerous for Formula More »

 

Raikkonen vs Ricciardo: who is really in contention for a Red Bull drive?

Some impressive performances from Toro Rosso driver Daniel Ricciardo could be moving the Australian closer to a Red Bull drive. This comes as it was revealed Red Bull were keeping an eye on the young driver should Kimi Raikkonen – the teams first choice – be unavailable. But which of the two drivers is really

Spanish Grand Prix Round-up – Tyres dominate post-race discussion

Hello JLF1 Column visitors! The Spanish Grand Prix was not a classic when compared directly to the previous four rounds, but one thing is still very much on everybody’s minds. And what is that? Tyres! It seems that all we seem to talk about is tyres, tyres, tyres. What about the on track action? It’s

Alonso takes domiant home victory at Spanish Grand Prix

Fernando Alonso took his second victory of the season and at his home race by winning the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona. The Ferrari man held off Lotus’ Kimi Raikkonen and made his 4-stop-strategy work as the tyres again dominated strategies. The 2 Mercedes started on the front row, however as many feared their challenge

Team-by-team look at the 2013 Spanish Grand Prix

Sunday’s Spanish Grand Prix saw Fernando Alonso take a dominant home victory as Sebastian Vettel failed to finish on the podium. There was a stand out performance from Esteban Gutierrez whilst Mercedes continue to struggle to get a grip on the Pirelli tyres. We take a look at where each team stands as the European

2013 Spanish GP Result

Pos. Driver Team Points 1 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 25 2 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 18 3 Felipe Massa Ferrari 15 4 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 12 5 Mark Webber Red Bull 10 6 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 8 7 Paul di Resta Force India 6 8 Jenson Button McLaren 4 9 Sergio Perez McLaren 2 10 Daniel

2013 Spainish GP Qualifying Result

Pos. Driver Team Time 1 Nico Rosberg Mercedes 01:20.718 2 Lewis Hamilton Mercedes 01:20.972 3 Sebastian Vettel Red Bull 01:21.054 4 Kimi Raikkonen Lotus 01:21.177 5 Fernando Alonso Ferrari 01:21.218 6 Felipe Massa Ferrari 01:21.219 7 Romain Grosjean Lotus 01:21.308 8 Mark Webber Red Bull 01:21.570 9 Sergio Perez McLaren 01:22.069 10 Paul di Resta

Is the Middle East the answer to F1′s testing debate?

In recent weeks there has been much debate over F1′s testing program ahead of the 2014 season. Given the major changes coming for next season it has been agreed that an extra pre-season test will be added in January, what is now being discussed however is where the tests will now take place. The Middle

Why Lotus must win in the next 3 races

One of the biggest surprises of this season has been the rise of Lotus and Kimi Raikkonen. Currently they are 2nd in both championships and are fresh from a double podium finish in Bahrain. Despite that some people are doubting whether Lotus are serious championship contenders this year, pointing to the smaller funds available and

A Guide to the Circuit de Catalunya

This weekend F1 returns to Europe for the Spanish Grand Prix in Barcelona, the Circuit de Catalunya is not known as an exciting circuit on the calendar, but the driver’s and teams know the track very well as it hosts 2 of the pre-season tests. Here’s an in-depth look at the technical challenge the Catalunya

Springtime in Imola

Imola pit building.

It wasn’t so very long ago that the European Formula One season would start with the San Marino Grand Prix at Imola, often the second race of the season after Brazil. Anyone who knew it cannot but regret its loss as not only was the Autodromo Enzo e Dino Ferrari a superb race track but

Five things to watch out for at this weekend’s Spanish Grand Prix

Before racing begins in Spain I take a look at five of the things you should be watching out for. From the dominance of Red Bull and return of Romain Grosjean to some of the interesting updates teams are bringing to the European races these are the five key stories to look out for this

Top 5 Stories of F1 2013 so far

As F1 prepares to return to it’s home in Europe with the Spanish Grand Prix, lets look at the top 5 stories to emerge from the opening 4 races across Asia and the Middle East. 5. Debut of Jules Bianchi The arrival of Jules Bianchi onto the F1 scene was quite a messy one, the

Senna: The man who changed F1 forever

May 1st saw the 19th anniversary of the death of Ayrton Senna in a tragic weekend at Imola that saw both Senna and Roland Ratzenberger lose their lives in 2 days. The events of the San Marino Grand Prix in 1994 changed not just F1 but sport in general and to this day the effects

Has Paul di Resta got what it takes to be a world champion?

In an interview with Sky Sports F1 Force India’s deputy team principal Bob Fernley suggested Paul di Resta would have been world champion by now if he had been driving a Red Bull. But should one good performance in 2013 suggest a driver is capable of being a championship winning driver? Fernley’s comments come just

Why looking long term early makes sense for Mercedes

Despite making a positive start to 2013, Mercedes have this week confirmed more than half of their workforce will be concentrating on the 2014 car by the end of May. Some see this as a surprise move given how competitive the Silver Arrows are this year, but in my opinion allocating a higher proportion of

Why Porsche’s recent comments are a major warning for F1

This week German car maker Porsche revealed it was considering entering Formula 1 as the makers of the famous 911 model look to move back into high level motor-sport. In the end the company opted to enter a prototype design into the Le Mans series for 2014, reports link current Red Bull driver Mark Webber

Has Bahrain signalled a return to form for Romain Grosjean?

Last weekend’s Bahrain Grand Prix appeared to signal a return to form for Romain Grosjean. A flawless performance with plenty of on track action- minus any crashes or near misses he became known for in 2012- saw him take his first podium of 2013. So have we now seen the return of Grosjean challenging for

Why F1 was right to go to Bahrain

As the F1 world look back at a brilliant weekend of action at the Bahrain Grand Prix, all the questions as to whether the sport was right to go appear to have disappeared. Of course some would argue that F1 still should not of gone, despite the weekend passing off with little mention of any

Team-by-team look at the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix

Sunday’s Bahrain Grand Prix and win by Sebastian Vettel looks reminiscent of his dominance in 2012 and could signal the start of a winning streak for the German. There were also stand out performances from Paul di Resta and Sergio Perez as both look to assert themselves in 2013. We take a look at where

Bahrain Grand Prix Round-up – Boring Bahrain? Far from it!

It’s becoming a regular theme, starting my column with the phrase “what a race” but it really was. Again. 2012 may have started with seven different winners in the same number of races but 2013 has proved to be just as dramatic and perhaps even more entertaining to watch. I again got my pre-race prediction